OSU's 'Remember the 10' Hopes to Raise Money

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9 for NewsOn6.com

STILLWATER, Oklahoma -- Hundreds will gather in Stillwater Saturday to participate in the Remember the 10. It's become a tradition for the Cowboys and is much more than a race and memorial.

Last year a car crash claimed the lives of three OSU students. Only one student survived the wreck.

The accident altered so many lives on the OSU campus and for the first time in a long time, the Cowboy community grieved as one.

"What we did is just rally the troops and responded," said Dr. Suzanne Burks, director of the OSU Student Counseling Center.

Dr. Burks said the school's counseling center has helped family, friends and faculty cope with the largest loss of students since the 2001 Colorado plane crash that killed 10 members of the OSU basketball program.

"Loss is loss," said Dr. Burks. "That's when we grieve, when we lose something."

Dr. Burks said it's critical for students to have someone to turn to in their time of need.

"The loss of a job, the loss of the ability to attend school or to be in the program you wanted to be in," Burks said.

While the support for students is priceless, it does cost money to operate the center.

The 3rd annual "Remember the 10" run will again raise money for the school's counseling services, while remembering the men who lost their lives eight years ago on the fatal flight back home.

Thousands of dollars have been raised in the past two years and the money is being used for supplies and additional training for counselors.

Dr. Burks said it is money the department needs in order to keep helping those who need them.

"Grief isn't just when somebody dies," said Dr. Burks. "It goes with any loss."

NEWS 9 will be represented in this year's race.

NEWS 9's Sports Director at the time, Bill Teegins, was on the flight when it crashed, and the station's team be running this year, in his memory.

It's not too late to sign up to run. Learn more about registering for the Remember the 10 Run.