Stephen K. Griffith / Griffith, Lowry & Meherg
CULLMAN – The Cullman Area Mental Health Foundation on Monday announced the upcoming establishment of the Stephen K. Griffith Memorial Fund. The Griffith family is establishing the fund with an initial gift of $25,000 to the Cullman Area Mental Health Foundation. A formal check presentation will take place Wednesday, June 6, 2018 at 10 a.m. at WellStone Cullman (1909 Commerce Ave NW Cullman, AL 35056).
The memorial fund is being created in memory of Cullman attorney and community leader Stephen K. Griffith. The Stephen K. Griffith Fund will support the increased availability of mental health services in Cullman County.
Cullman Area Mental Health Foundation Treasurer and WellStone Chief Operating Officer Chris Van Dyke shared, “Steve Griffith was and still is incredibly respected by our community. His death was a tragedy that will not be forgotten. The Cullman Area Mental Health Foundation Board of Directors has the distinct privilege to help the Griffith family establish and grow a memorial fund in his honor. We deeply appreciate the Griffith family’s generosity and their vision to invest in preventative services for the Cullman community.”
Van Dyke continued, “WellStone and the Cullman Area Mental Health Foundation are leading a local coalition to plan for long term expansion of treatment availability, with the ultimate goal of providing local, 24/7 access to care for those facing mental health issues and acute crises.”
The Cullman Area Mental Health Foundation encourages the community to contribute to the Stephen K. Griffith Memorial Fund to honor Griffith and his family as well as to help expand mental health services in Cullman County. Cullman Area Mental Health Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. All donations are tax-deductible.
Donations can be made to:
Stephen K. Griffith Memorial Fund
c/o Cullman Area Mental Health Foundation
P.O. Box 2186
Cullman, AL 35056
From The Tribune:
Griffith died at his home on July 17, 2017 after an assailant entered the residence and attacked him.
During a press conference the next day, Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry said, “This is a subject that we’ve talked about many times. It’s a subject that makes me angry to talk about, and that’s mental illness. What we have identified (is) that in 1997, there was a case involving (the assailant) Mr. Walker, and for the last decade he believed that the victim had a part to play in a case that he was involved in. We’ve identified that Mr. Walker had mental issues. Mr. Walker became infatuated with Mr. Griffith, even though they had no connection. There was no connection between the two. And yesterday, that mental illness led Mr. Walker to Mr. Griffith’s residence, in which he took his life. In Mr. Walker’s mental state, he believed there was a connection. There was not."
