PEACE OUTside CAMPUS – The Lindsey M. Bonistall Foundation is dedicated to promoting peaceful and safe living environments in off-campus college communities nationwide.

The Beginning

Lindsey Marie Bonistall was a 20-year-old sophomore journalism major at the University of Delaware. In the early hours of May 1, 2005, Lindsey was a victim of a violent crime in her off-campus apartment that took her life. To her family and friends, Lindsey was a living spirit who brought joy and laughter to the lives she touched and strived to make a difference in her world.

PEACE OUTside CAMPUS is both a celebration of Lindsey’s life and a continuation of her legacy as it aims to make a difference on her behalf. The foundation was aptly named because her family wanted to connect the support of peaceful and safe communities outside campus to Lindsey’s favorite sign off, Peace Out.

Our Goals

PEACE OUTside CAMPUS became an official foundation in July of 2005 and received 501(C)(3) status in July of 2006. Aside from fundraisers designed to raise both awareness and funds, it has developed an off-campus housing program to advocate for the protection of students by communicating rental rights and working with landlords and local college communities to develop and maintain improved safety measures in off-campus apartments.

In an attempt to empower students to advocate for their own safety, PEACE OUTside CAMPUS has supported the development of chapters in numerous colleges and universities with the goal of expanding its influence to other colleges and universities nationwide. 

In addition to sharing information on these programs, the PEACE OUTside CAMPUS website has been designed to provide students and their parents with an ‘Off-Campus Living 101’ resource that includes crime prevention and personal safety tips as well as other comprehensive resources for living off-campus. 

Prior to attending college, PEACE OUTside CAMPUS is empowering high school students to be more proactive in safeguarding themselves. Teens 'N Transition is a peer led program that uses personal experience and risk reducing tactics to promote safety.

By instituting these measures, PEACE OUTside CAMPUS allows students to feel safer not only on their college campuses, but especially in the cities and towns that surround them. Lindsey did not live in fear and we believe this should be a basic right of all college students and their families.