Golf outing pics are finally posted to Facebook, and they are pretty darn funny. Here is one of my very favorites, below. Thanks to everyone who helped us raise $33,000 this year at the Joe Upshaw Golf Classic and KFA Benefit & Silent Auction. Love to you all!
Exciting news! We have named the middle school program, and it will be called UP. Two letters, short and sweet.
What is this middle school program, you ask? Head over to the newly formed UP page of the site for a detailed description, but here is a brief summary:
Keep Friendship Alive will launch a modern and unconventional substance abuse prevention program next year for middle schoolers nationwide. College students will serve as role models by visiting their local middle schools and inspiring kids to pursue their passions and steer clear of substance abuse. College students will be armed with cutting edge tools including a guerrilla marketing campaign, an online video series, and a curriculum to facilitate discussions and fun activities.
Want to have a crack at the logo design? Contact us, and we’ll send you the one page creative brief.
Thanks for the shout-out, Laguna Beach! Check out my front page story:
November 17, 2011 | By Cindy Frazier
When Laguna Beach resident Erica Upshaw was rear-ended on South Coast Highway at Nyes Place in a seven-car pileup Sept. 22, she woke up in the hospital saying “Joey.”
She was lucky to be alive and calling out her dead brother’s name after a drunk driver, who died days later at the hospital, hit her Mini Cooper at 50 mph.
The driver of the car, Lee Henry Vuille, 73, was believed at first to be suffering from a diabetic condition, but later tests revealed his blood alcohol level to be higher than the legal limit, according to Laguna Beach police Lt. Jason Kravetz.
Unrelated to the Laguna crash, Joey Upshaw died in 2000 after a drinking and drug binge during a fraternity house party at The Ohio State University.
Since 2006, Erica has devoted her life to speaking to students about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, and how friends can save each other.
Erica said that she and Joey, her older brother and best friend, both liked to party. Both were good students and popular at school, each joining a sorority or fraternity. They grew up in Dayton, Ohio.
Joey was studying civil engineering and known for being a very funny drunk, she said.
“He took GHB [known as a date rape drug] after a long night of drinking, and he died that night,” Erica said. “His fraternity brothers put him to bed to sleep it off, and he never woke up. Two hours after he took the drug they called for help.
“When his lips turned blue they were afraid of getting into trouble. They were drunk and scared. Joey was to blame, too. It was a collective disaster. They didn’t act in time.”
Six years later, at administrators’ request, the formerly shy student used the voice she found while giving her brother’s eulogy to sway Ohio State students from the hard partying and binge drinking that was taking a toll there.
In the intervening years, she had become a successful photographer’s representative, living in places like Chicago and New York, where she met her husband, Darren Austin. But she felt something was missing.
“I knew I had to do something,” she said.
When Ohio State beckoned, she created the presentation “Keep Friendship Alive,” a subtle reference to the need for inebriated students to act to save each other from drug and alcohol overdose. The presentation — with an emphasis on “partying smart” — worked, and she started receiving invitations to speak at schools all over the country.
She quit her photography career and devoted herself to the cause full time. She just embarked on a two-week, 10-campus tour, following up on a 30-campus trip in the fall semester, and recently gave a presentation at UC Irvine. She has addressed some 100,000 students so far.
Colleges and universities are not the only ones clamoring for her speaking skills: She spoke to 7,000 Ohio high school students during spring 2011 graduation.
“After that, a kid wrote back to me that he is no longer dealing drugs and has decided to go to college,” she said. “That’s confirmation from above that I’m on the right track.”
Now she is expanding her goals.
“I want to try to change the culture of drinking and drug abuse in the U.S.,” she said.
She speaks from experience and doesn’t judge young people for their behavior, she said.
“The first time I got drunk was in seventh grade,” she said. “But I got straight As and played sports.” She said her drinking never became a major issue in her family.
“I look back and know I’ve made mistakes,” she said.
Now, she wants to start talking to kids in sixth grade “before they engage in risky behaviors.”
But she knows that statistics on drug use are getting even more grim.
Drug deaths now exceed deaths by traffic accidents in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This is largely due to the explosion in the abuse of prescription drugs, which teens get in their parents’ medicine cabinets or on the street.
“Every day, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high,” she said. “There has been a huge jump in hospitalizations. People are dying. Parents don’t know how to talk to kids about drugs and alcohol. My mom didn’t know what Joey and I were doing.”
Although she speaks candidly about her brother with barely a trace of emotion, one thing still haunts her: what happened to him could have so easily happened to her.
It was years after the tragedy, while living in New York, that she realized that she, too, had a problem with alcohol.
“Somebody confronted me about my drinking, and I really thought about what had happened to Joey. Then Ohio State called and it was a synchronistic moment. I realized I was doing dangerous things.”
Telling Joey’s story helped her to control her drug and alcohol use. She stopped using recreational drugs and now drinks only occasionally. And she’s looking for other people to join her new nonprofit venture and spread the message to more and younger people.
“I want to teach kids to pursue their passions instead of alcohol and drugs, to create massive change,” she said.
For more information, visit http://www.keepfriendshipalive.org.
Twitter: @CindyFrazier1
I have officially returned to my Fall tour, and I started things off with a bang Monday night by speaking to 2,500 students at Michigan State. I’m getting a little choked up just thinking about it….I truly loved every second, especially the standing O!
I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive to get back into the swing of things. My traveling / speaking schedule is nutso, and I’ve been through the ringer these past few weeks: physically, emotionally, mentally. However, I know I am going to be okay. In fact, I think I’m going to be better than ever. Yep, Nietzsche, you heard me.
I have something stranger than fiction to share. The man who caused the multiple car crash in Laguna Beach on Sept. 22nd that could have left me deader than a doornail was drunk…very drunk: .20% BAC drunk.
Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think? Drunk driver hits girl who has dedicated her life to substance abuse prevention. Drunk driver dies, girl lives. You can’t make this stuff up. Experts have told me I could have easily died that day. Just look at the pictures of my car in the below post. And here I am, three weeks later, on stage sharing the story with thousands of young adults in hopes to educate and inspire.
Life is precious and unpredictable. This experience is speaking to me loud and clear. I am meant to be doing this work. I’m moving full force ahead in creating my nationwide substance abuse prevention program for middle schoolers and recruiting college students to become positive role models in these 6th graders’ lives. I am stoked to report that hundreds of college students have signed up to join this army that will create positive ripples in the lives of so many.
Lately I am so full of gratitude. Life works in mysterious ways. Yes it does.
Today is the 11th Annual Joe Upshaw Golf Classic benefiting Keep Friendship Alive in Columbus, OH. I am SO BUMMED I’m not there today. But, since I can barely move my head, I imagine it would be tough to take a car ride to the airport much less fly across the country. Rest is in order, and I’m lucky to be alive. (View the below article regarding my car accident last week…I was in the Mini Cooper.)
Please read what I wrote to our golfers. I’m SO excited about KFA’s future, and very soon we will be doing some crazy awesome things. If you would like to donate, please visit my fundraising page. Lots of light and love….Erica
HELLO Golfers!
I really wish I could be there today. Instead, I’m home in California, recovering from a brutal car accident. I’m extremely lucky to be alive, and I’m relieved that I don’t have any major injuries. However, it was an incredibly close call for me, and I think the tow lot attendant summed it up when she said, “Judging from the looks of your car, I thought you died.” Unfortunately, I just found out the man who caused the accident did.
When I woke up in the ambulance last Thursday afternoon, I had no idea what happened or even what day it was, but I heard myself repeating Joey’s name. So many people have suggested he was with me that day – my guardian angel. I also believe he’s the biggest advocate of my work, and he knows there is so much more to do. It simply was not my time.
If you aren’t familiar with Joey’s story, he died in 2000 from an accidental drug overdose at his Ohio State fraternity party. Joey was my older brother and best friend in the world. A few years after his death, I decided to travel the country to share Joey’s story and educate students to party smart and keep friends safe. I have reached more than 100,000 college and high school students nationwide with my keynote presentation, Keep Friendship Alive.
Now, I’m leading Keep Friendship Alive’s expansion to reach middle school students all over the country with a modern and unconventional approach to substance abuse prevention. Think of D.A.R.E. for a second…it will be nothing like that. Our program will be fun, positive, and most importantly, effective. College students, recruited through my Keep Friendship Alive network, will serve as role models and inspire our kids to pursue their passions and steer clear of substance abuse. Our goal is to create a movement that will change the culture of alcohol and drug abuse in America.
We are raising funds to create our research-based curriculum and equip college students with cutting edge tools. Our flagship program is an online video series that will kick-start the movement with 6th graders nationwide. Next year, college students will start visiting their local middle schools to launch a guerilla marketing campaign, facilitate discussions on the video series, lead fun activities, and inspire young people everywhere. Our approach will change the paradigm for education on this issue. We will save lives.
Thank YOU for being involved and helping us raise funds for this very worthy cause.
Have fun today and please Tweet!
@ericaupshaw @KFAgolf
MUCH LOVE, ERICA
I have a lump in my throat as I write these words. Another wonderful young person is dead from an alcohol related tragedy.
My heart goes out to Ann Hefferin’s family and friends, Delta Delta Delta, and University of Central Florida.
I spoke at University of Central Florida one year ago to a small fraternity and sorority audience. When I first heard this news, I was scared that maybe Ann was present at my talk that night and I had failed her. It turns out Ann just arrived to UCF this Fall and was only days into her college career. If she and her friends had attended my presentation, I can’t help but wonder if things might have turned out differently. Toxicology reports have not yet been released, but so far we know Ann had been drinking at a fraternity party, and her roommate found her unresponsive early the next morning. We have unfortunately heard this story many times before.
Ann, I promise to continue my work in your memory.
Ann Hefferin Memorial from Knight News on Vimeo.
Ann Hefferin Candlelight Vigil at UCF Reflecting Pond from Knight News on Vimeo.
Hey buddies, it’s been quite a while since my last post! I guess you could say it’s the calm before the storm…in many ways. This summer, I have been diligently working on my new non-profit. Researching, brainstorming, planning, it’s been a whirlwind. I can’t wait to share more info with all of you very soon. But for now, I’m just going to say that this thing is going to be BIG. And I will finally be able to give my students a way to really get involved, help their communities, and truly make a difference. More to come soon!
I have my first talk of the fall season this Friday. I will be speaking to the fellas of Sigma Alpha Mu at their annual convention in Phoenix. Very excited! Then my schedule goes a little something like this for the rest of the season. Much love!
Just thought I would share what’s happening in my backyard. I am loving these California wildflowers! I sent many of you the same seeds this spring. Please share a pic of your flowers on Facebook, I’d love to see them!
What’s up with Nike? Their new “action sports campaign” featured in a Boston storefront window display was just taken down because of the tee-shirts pictured below. Nice, Nike – way to promote prescription drugs when everyday, on average, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time. Our country is in a real pickle with Rx drug abuse, and it’s a BIG deal. Unintentional drug overdose is now the leading cause of injury death in 17 states, surpassing car crashes.
I get the whole concept of getting high without drugs. I’m a big fan. But this campaign was executed terribly. I won’t be buying Nike products anytime soon.
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