“I remember it like yesterday…”

At 7:55 a.m. on Sept. 26, 2016, Dan and Tereasa Zaruba of Gloucester received a call from their oldest son saying that youngest son Aaron was dead. He was 26. It was self-inflicted.

“After our son died by suicide,” Dan Zaruba said, “we felt very alone.” For 18 months, the couple dealt with their own emotional fallout from Aaron’s decision to end his life.

“We thought the best way to aid in our healing was to create a foundation in memory of Aaron,” Zaruba explained.

That organization, the Aaron Zaruba Foundation Fund, is geared to further suicide awareness, provide prevention materials and programs, and help people access counseling and other psychiatric services.

A fundraiser has been scheduled to kickstart the foundation and will be held from 6-10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Abingdon Ruritan Club in Bena.

Tickets are $60 each and include dinner catered by Gidi Gourmet, wine, beer...