How a drive-in movie can help end drinking and driving

From left to right, Meg Dpollack, Felicia Ling, and Lauren Webb settle down to enjoy the movie and the event that they planned.

On Friday, February 23, 2018, Lambert students settled in the backs of their cars to watch Captain America: Civil War. Though the event simply seems like a fun way for students to start off the weekend, the story behind the drive-in depicts how Lambert students are changing the world in their own ways.

For the girls behind it, Meg Dpollack, Felicia Ling, and Lauren Webb, the event began as something completely different. “The project honestly started as an idea for our HOSA event but i️t turned into something so much bigger than that,” says Dpollack, a junior, “We came up with the idea “drive”-in movie because we were making people aware of drunk “drive”ing. When we started taking our idea to the next level we realized how big and impactful this event would be. We realized that we didn’t just want this event to be a part of our HOSA project but we wanted to make a bigger impact on our community. We wanted to honor Eliza, who drove us every day.”

“The purpose of this event is to promote awareness of drinking and driving,” Dpollack says, “Driving while under the influence is a preventable crime, and we want everyone to understand the dangers and consequences of their actions, especially when others are at risk. We chose a drive-in because we thought i️t would be a fun way to get people together, and we want to go above and beyond for our friend, Eliza, who this event is in honor of. We started to just act on our plans right away because we knew that i️t would be a lot of work. The only way to pursue something is to do i️t and watch it become a reality.”

Meg Dpollack
The three girls who planned the drive-in go to hug Mrs. Farrell, Eliza Farrell’s mother.

“We hope that this event will make not only students but EVERYONE think twice before endangering the lives of others. We want them to know that their actions have consequences and to think twice before getting behind the wheel when you are impaired. We want everyone to make i️t home safe, which is why we named this overall project Destination Sober,” says Dpollack. Hopefully, the effort that these girls have committed to this drive-in will make a lasting impact.