03/13/2013
10 years ago today this beautiful girl was stolen from our world.
Here is her story-
"On March 12th, 2003, a star was seen shooting across the
California sky. That same star had fallen to earth just twenty years earlier, in
October 1982, when Casey Goodwin was born, beginning a life filled with
joy, passion and service to others.
Casey grew up in Exeter, a small town in California’s Central Valley. There, she excelled in sports like water polo and swimming, as both MVP and captain two years in a row. Casey was also recognized as a confident and driven student advocate. She was a leader in the Friday Night Live chapter at her school, and spent much of her high school career helping her peers gain knowledge about drug and alcohol issues. She helped organize and promote important prevention events like “Every 15 Minutes” and Sober Grad; Casey also worked in the offices of the California Friday Night Live Partnership. She was always admired for her practice of leadership by example, she lived a positive and healthy lifestyle. Casey once wrote in her journal that her number once concern in life was the issue of drinking and driving.
Casey took her commitment to a whole new level when she joined the California Youth Council. There she was an advocate for youth programs throughout the state and also assisted in the planning of Teenwork, the largest youth prevention conference in the nation.
After graduating from high school in 2000, Casey continued her education at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. She planned to become a teacher and help high school students fully understand the consequences of drinking and driving. Casey continued to play water polo in college and made many wonderful, close-knit friendships;
for a short time, she also worked as an intern at the Friday Night Live Office in San Luis Obispo. Casey never missed a chance to promote her passion for a healthy lifestyle.
Casey loved her family more than words can describe. Her mother, Lynne, Friday Night Live Coordinator for Tulare County; her father, Reed; her younger brothers, Chris and Kyle; and her little sister, Kellie, meant the world to her. Casey often made surprise trips home to watch swim meets and school plays; she rarely missed a birthday.
Such was the case on March 12, 2003 – Casey was traveling home to celebrate her mother’s birthday.
At 6:30 that night, an 18 year old was also on the road, driving to work after drinking a few beers. Casey was hit head on and suffered devastating injuries. She was airlifted to Fresno Medical Center where she died the next day.
The Goodwin’s world was forever changed when Casey was taken from them by a drinking driver – the very issue that Casey and her mother had devoted their lives to fight against.
Casey’s funeral was attended by over 2,000 family members, friends, schoolmates, politicians, police officers, and colleagues. Since her death, Casey’s family and friends have worked hard in conjunction with state legislators to pass “TRACE”, Target Responsibility for Alcohol Connected Emergencies, which helps identify the
source of alcohol purchases of minors who have been involved in car accidents. Casey has been just as much a force in death as she was in her all too brief life.
It has been said that Casey made a friend of everyone she met. As her friend, won’t you help us continue Casey’s work? Won’t you help us eliminate drinking and driving and all of the harm that comes from alcohol abuse?
Don’t get into a car while under the influence or with someone who is under the influence, because when you do, you are taking the chance of killing someone’s child, sister, loved one, or friend. Live your life by the philosophy of Casey Goodwin, a philosophy that she often told friends:
“Be kind, live a life with no regrets and don’t take yourself too seriously… Dance like no one is watching.”
- Casey's Pledge Toolkit
(For more information visit: www.caseygoodwin.org)
