By Kaitlin Candelaria
Arjun Lakhanpal was inspired by his uncle’s death, but more importantly by the way he lived his life, to raise funds for a fountain on Jemison Trail.
Sundeep Caplash, a Mountain Brook resident, was struck and killed by an off-duty Mountain Brook police officer in 2011 while running along Montevallo Road. He was busy training for his first Mercedes Marathon, a goal he had set for himself recently, after taking up jogging.
When grieving his death, Lakhanpal and his family decided to complete the Mercedes Marathon in memory of Caplash. More than 120 people ran the marathon in his memory in 2011.
Lakhanpal, a junior at The Altamont School, and many members of his family continued running even after completing the marathon. Lakhanpal came up with the idea for his “fountain of memories” one afternoon while running on the Jemison Trail.
“I had just finished my run and realized that I had forgotten my water bottle at home,” he said. “How I wished there was a fountain there and not half a mile away! That’s when the idea came to my head.”
Lakhanpal approached the Mountain Brook Parks and Recreation Board in July with his idea. The board approved the fountain of memories and Lakhanpal set to work creating a GoFundMe page where people could donate in memory of Caplash.
The $6,000 needed to install a new fountain was raised in only four hours.
“This was once again a testament to the impact my uncle had on people’s lives,” Lakhanpal said. “Running was only one part of my uncle’s life. His kind, thoughtful nature and his willingness to always help others was another important part of his life. So, I thought by having this water fountain installed, I would continue his legacy of helping people, whether it be runners like us or anyone else wanting to quench their thirst.”
The fountain has been ordered and will be installed upon arrival.
Lakhanpal is thankful and amazed at the support he has received from the community. He also credits the C. Kyser Miree Ethical Leadership Program at Altamont for instilling him with valuable leadership experience. It was through working in the program, he said, that he was able to discover his personal passion for having the fountain installed.
“My uncle’s loving nature and his life motto of ‘I never met a stranger’ is what compelled people to donate so much so quickly,” he said. “There were 750 people at his funeral – even the Starbucks staff that served him coffee after his morning runs came to his funeral. He made an impact on so many people in his short life span.” ϖ
