2008 Woodie Awards
Alpha Psi hosts alcohol education workshop
Students sign "Casey's Pledge" to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving
Courtney Snow
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Features
|
Alpha Psi member A.J. Berndt brought this program to SSU with help from his father, John Berndt and Casey Goodwin's mother, Lynne Goodwin.
The SSU Community is haunted by the existence of alcohol abuse because of the strong college community in a town where the "there-is-nothing-to-do-here" attitude prevails each day of the week. Alpha Psi dedicated this alcohol awareness workshop to the Greek Community at SSU.
Not only did Lynne Goodwin make a presentation to all of the attendees, but Friday Night Live, a program dedicated to reducing the number of deaths caused by drunk driving, sent a representative as well. Since the death of Casey Goodwin, the program has been dedicated to her.
As Lynne Goodwin walked to the front of the Cooperage to share the story of her daughter and son, who was also the victim of a car accident just nine months after Casey's death, the room seemed almost at a standstill.
"It was like an episode of E.R.," said Goodwin. "It rolls like a really bad T.V. show."
Casey Goodwin was an active member of the Friday Night Live program, ASB, and various community service projects. She served on the California Youth Council for three years and interned with Friday Night Live. Casey was also considering attending SSU, but later decided it was too far away from home. Her younger sister will be attending in the fall of 2008.
Being that she was an advocate against drunk driving, it would seem ironic that she was tragically killed by a drunk driver in 2003 while traveling home to visit her family in anticipation of her mother's birthday.
"You think you know what forever feels like," said Goodwin. "Just wait until you are traveling to find your hurt child in a hospital; that's what forever feels like."