UF has been selected as the next university to help spread happiness.
UF’s collegiate chapter of the Happiness Foundation, a nonprofit organization based out of Maryland with a mission to spread news about the dangers of drunk driving, officially became a student organization Oct. 4.
The foundation was created after a drunk driving accident on May 15, 2011, injured one passenger and left three young adults dead.
None of the passengers knew at the time that the decision they made to get in a car with a drunk driver would change the lives of many forever, said Victoria Wrigley, president of Gators For Happiness.
Wrigley, a 20-year-old UF marketing junior, lost three friends that night. Since then, she and the community have been trying to spread awareness of drunk driving.
“At the end of the day, Gators For Happiness would like to see UF students view drunk driving as socially unacceptable,” Wrigley said. “We would like to see students take responsibility for their own safety.”
Car crashes are the leading cause of teenage deaths, and about a quarter of them involve an underage drunk driver, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
The club plans to host benefit concerts, hand out promise shirts, raise awareness and provide transportation for students who have been drinking, Wrigley said.
Gators For Happiness also plans on working together with other student organizations on campus to make shirts that include the Happiness logo.
“Having a club on campus that is trying to help prevent students from driving after a night of drinking is such a great approach and will be a big eye-opener for students,” said Erika Cook, a 20-year-old UF criminology junior.
Cook said she lost friends to drunk driving and doesn’t want anyone to go through the same pain.
“Drunk driving is preventable,” she said. “I’m glad an organization on campus is finally going to be able to show students how impactful one decision can actually be.”
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 10/23/2013 under the headline "New student organization finds joy in fighting drunk driving"
