COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Less than a month after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed while speaking at a Utah college, Turning Point USA chapters are emerging in colleges and high schools nationwide, Ohio included.

Kirk, 31, was shot and killed during a routine campus event. Kirk was known for appearing on college campuses and debating political topics, and for his prominent conservative youth organization, Turning Point USA. Since Kirk’s death, his organization said more than 120,000 students have asked to launch new Turning Point chapters. See previous coverage of central Ohio’s response to the death of Charlie Kirk in the video player above.

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“Ohio is blessed with great Turning Point USA chapters and staff,” said Jay Edwards, former state representative and candidate for Ohio Treasurer. “Since Charlie Kirk’s assassination, my inbox has been flooded by parents and students interested in starting a chapter in their local school or community.”

Turning Point USA calls itself the “largest conservative student movement in the nation.” The organization helps high school and college students start local chapters to explore conservative beliefs. Chapters must be approved by the national organization and are required to hold a set number of activism events annually.

Turning Point USA already had a presence in central Ohio, with chapters at institutions including Ohio State and Ohio universities, and a younger “Club America” chapter at Hilliard Davidson High School. Turning Point USA lists a Club America chapter at Dublin Coffman High School, too, although it does not appear on the district’s website.

After Kirk’s death, more students are beginning local chapters. Olentangy Liberty High School has not had its chapter approved by the school yet, but work is underway. The students behind Olentangy Liberty’s Club America recently began their social media pages, writing that they hope to “make a difference at Liberty but also grow into a community project.”

“There is a process that students must follow to form a district-approved student group,” an Olentangy district spokesperson said of the new chapter. “There are Liberty High School students currently following that process for a Turning Point chapter.”

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Existing central Ohio chapters are also seeing a change. This is the third year Mike Carney has been the adviser for Hilliard Davidson’s chapter, and he said there’s been a noticeable difference since Kirk’s death. Carney said he sent an email to teachers with information after the shooting and purposefully made himself available for students who saw violent videos of the event online.

Carney said after Kirk’s death, a few more students and teachers attended the next Club America meeting. After a few years of struggling to make the club known to students, Carney said it was unfortunate “that it has to take this to get positive feedback and privileges that other clubs have.”

Turning Point chapters are emerging across the state. Near Cincinnati, Clermont County and Lebanon high schools have each recently launched new chapters.

Shawnee State University, along the Ohio River, launched a chapter within a week of Kirk’s death. According to its social media, it has already attracted at least two dozen students who are serving on various boards and subcommittees within the group. Students, via the chapter’s social media, said they joined to spread their faith and find community.

In northern Ohio, Salem High School is creating a chapter. Northern Ohio’s Baldwin Wallace University and Lake Erie College each also launched a chapter after Kirk’s death.

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Many universities already had a Turning Point USA chapter, but may not have been officially registered. The University of Cincinnati had to release a statement after internet rumors swirled that the university had removed Turning Point USA as a registered student organization. The university clarified that the group had not registered since 2021.

“Earlier this week, interested students connected with the Center for Student Involvement and indicated that they would be pursuing re-establishing the group as a registered student organization,” the university said in a statement, adding the chapter has the opportunity to apply, as is standard.

Even if main campuses have chapters, university branch campuses have begun creating their own groups, too. Ohio University’s Southern campus, located along the Ohio River, launched its chapter on Thursday. Kent State University’s Geauga and Trumbull campuses each launched chapters toward the end of September.

As Turning Point USA works through applications, Carney said more may emerge in the future.

“It’s sad but true that tragedies will spur people to see the truth and see good things and hopefully unite people,” Carney said.