ANDREA’S PROJECT
My name is David Elizalde, and I am the Founder of Andrea’s Project.
Andrea’s Project is a local grassroots non-profit organization that was started on June 15, 2019 after my daughter died in a car crash when a drunk driver lost control of her car on Easter April 21, 2019.
After losing my daughter, my life will never be the same. However, her death created a desire in me to educate Youth on the dangers of drinking and driving and find solutions to minimize DWIs in my community and across the State of Texas.
It created a desire to lead an organization that has victim advocacy at its heart. Locally, we are responsible for passing a social host ordinance that holds parents responsible for serving alcohol to minors that was passed in April 2020.
Another achievement is to continue to place memorial signs at the crash sites that say, “Don’t Drink and Drive” with the victim’s name below. Because of our commitment to raising Impaired Driving awareness, we have gained the attention of Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
They have, in return, secured a grant called ”Training and assistance”. It is aimed at criminal justice professionals on DWI treatment intervention. It explores the risk and needs of DWI offender through the lens of mental health and substance use disorders. The objective is to reduce impaired driving by addressing these high-risk concerns to prevent further incidents of the crime.
Through (SAMHSA) and (SIMS) Amarillo was chosen because of Andrea’s Project’s strong display of leadership and desire to reduce harm in our community related to impaired driving.
This Project Is all good locally, but across Texas the system is failing victims. Because of COVID, one vehicular manslaughter case can take 5 to 7 years to see a courtroom. This means the accused basically is on bond living life freely.
Amarillo is small and the 19-year-old that was driving my daughter’s car was at a local bar 13 months after her death, drinking again. He got into a fight with the Bouncer. He was beaten and suffered a brain bleed and died of his injuries two days later.
Morgan Michael was a young lady that was hit by a drunk driver a year and a half ago that took her life. Her murderer was seen again drunk, four months ago at the local baseball game. He was angry with the bartenders because they wouldn’t serve him any more alcohol.
On Christmas this year, a family of five were all killed by a 57-year-old drunk driver, driving the wrong direction on Loop 335 in Amarillo. All of these deaths were preventable.
What we are doing is not working.
Please help me pass a law that will hold felony DWI accountable and get Texas on the Sobriety 24/7 Program that other states have implemented.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading what I have to say.
God Bless,
David Elizalde- President of Andrea’s Project
806-681-2418