The second annual Andrea’s walk took place at Western University to raise awareness for impaired driving. The walk takes place on the two year anniversary of the death of a first year Western University health studies student Andrea Christidis. Andrea was struck and hit by a car being driven by an impaired driver while walking home to her residence.
The event started with everyone meeting at Westerns U.C.C building and pledging to never drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Close friends of Andrea attended along with a large number of Western students and together took a walk around the campus with signs and flags to raise awareness for intoxicated driving.
Western’s Health Studies Student Association or the HSSA put together last year and this years event, the associations liaison Shannon Carman talks about what the message for this event is. Carman says,
“I think our message is not to d
rive impaired. There’s so many other options out there; you can get a taxi, get an uber, even as Yasi said earlier today, call the police… walk home, call a friend, anything; because when you get in that car and you’ve drank you’re not just taking your own life, you’re taking everyone around you.”
After the walk around campus the final stop was where the accident occurred, friends of Andrea laid flowers down beside her picture and Andrea’s best friend Yasaman Farshad after laying her own flowers down gave a beautiful speech about her best friend. Yasaman told everyone who joined about her best friend who was taken to early, she wanted to preach the message that spending that extra money to take a cab or asking a friend for a ride is not worth the risk on your life and other lives around you.
Everyone who attended was wearing a blue ribbon, not only for Andrea but to support the message of raising awareness for impaired driving.
