In Memory of Matthew Bahlinger
Provided by Matthew's Family:
Matthew Bahlinger loved playing saxophone in the LSU Tiger Marching Band in the 2016 and 2017 football seasons. He was well-liked among his peers and he was admired for his dry sense of humor, devotion to close friendships, and strong moral character. As an aspiring mechanical engineer, he dreamed of building projects that would help others, even if it was just one person. Throughout his short life, despite his own inner struggles, he frequently made sacrifices in order to help his friends and family. However, he was the one who needed help the most.
Matthew battled depression for the last 8 years of his life. He lost that battle in February of 2022 at the age of 24.
We are learning that Matthew’s story and struggle is far from unique. According to the American Psychiatric Association, 1 in every 6 people will experience depression at some time in life. It is most likely to initially affect those in their late teens to mid-20’s, an age group which includes all members of Tiger Band. The good news is that depression is treatable.
Our mission with the Matthew Bahlinger Memorial Fund is to raise awareness for the need for mental health services for Tiger Band and to aid in providing those services.
Our first step in that direction was to provide the Tiger Band section leaders with QPR training, a short seminar on how to recognize those struggling with mental health issues and refer them to a professional.
Our second step was to host “Matt’s Dinner” in which we received donations of food from local restaurants where Matthew had worked and we used dedicated funds to cater dinner for all of Tiger Band students and staff at the end of Band Camp. We fed over 350 people in 20 minutes with help from family and friends who donated their time to serve the food.
Our third step was to help secure and pay a portion of the salary of a part-time graduate student counselor from the PSC (Psychological Services Center) for the 2023 fall and 2024 spring semesters. This counselor’s office will be in the College of Music and Dramatic Arts building and his services will be available to all music and drama students and all LSU bands exclusively.
All of these accomplishments were made possible by contributions to the Matthew Bahlinger Memorial Fund. Your donation to the fund will enable us to continue to provide these needed services.
If you prefer to make your gift by check, make payable to: LSU Foundation
Notation Line: In Memory of Matthew Bahlinger
Send to: LSU Foundation
3796 Nicholson Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
The LSU Foundation will share notices about memorial gifts with Matthew’s family. We do not share the gift amount unless a donor explicitly gives us permission to do so.