Monday marked the first anniversary of a deadly car accident in Ingham County that rocked the Holt community. Three high school students died and another, the driver, is behind bars convicted of drunk driving.
Now, a year later, a program that honors those killed and is there to protect the living is picking up steam. It's all the brain-child of students who want to prevent another tragedy.
Holly Bossenbery was killed after she got into a car with a drunk driver who slammed into a tree.
"The night of the accident she hadn't been drinking but she was in the car thinking she was taking care of a friend who had been drinking," said Marena Cruz.
Two others died in the crash. Now three students are working to make sure their friends didn't die in vain. They've created Holly's Ride.
"Holly was DD for everything. She was always willing to pick someone up from a party if they couldn't drive. She was always there. So Holly's Ride is Holly," said Emily Webster, Holt High School student.
It's all about opening up about the dangers of drinking and driving. Students are helping younger students understand that if they drink, they shouldn't even try to drive.
"We get a lot of good responses, a lot of people saying that we really helped them. This is a household name for them. Now they're really talking about it more with their parents," said Cruz.
They're raising money with T-shirts, going to schools and offering online resources to anyone who might find themselves in a dangerous situation.
"We're changing the mood and the attitude and the way that we look at parties and drinking and driving," said Webster.
They're letting teens know there are people out there to help, people like Shane Chandler, who spends time on his weekends as a designated driver.
"Whenever I get a call I'm always out there. It doesn't matter what time it is. 3 o'clock in the morning, 4 in the morning I've done," said Chandler, a Holt High School student.
The program is a way to heal and turn a tragedy into a lesson.
"This is Holly. If Holly were here this would be her program. This is all her," said Cruz.
Holly was a friend they could always count on, Holly's name lives on in a legacy to help others.
Holly's Ride is sponsored by McLaren of Greater Lansing, formerly Ingham Regional Medical Center. Organizers are working to expand the program throughout the tri-county area so students across mid-Michigan can benefit.
