Western student Xavier Borsato is partnering with MADD London this summer to raise funds for an Andrea Christidis memorial. The 3rd year Health Science student is riding in a 24-hour Mountain Bike Race in memory of Andrea this June. The race is apart of the 24-hour Summer Solstice 20th Anniversary on June 23rd and 24th. It is a biking event that Borsato has been training the past 8 months for.
“The last few years I rode the race as a team, like a relay race. A team member rides a lap, then you and another and so on. This year I’m riding it solo. I know we have Andrea’s walk every year, but I wanted to take it a step further and foster a little more of a community on campus for MADD London and within the London community. So I decided, it’s something I enjoy doing, why not take it a step further- I’ll ride it by myself and use it to drive attention towards the cause.”
Andrea passed away after being hit by a student drunk driver October 2015. The two Western students were in the same faculty and residence during first year. There is a memorial bench outside Andrea’s old residence, but Borsato wants to raise funds for a memorial at the center of campus. He says that a memorial in this area will bring more awareness to the issue of impaired driving and student choices.
“We don’t just want her to be something people think about and then forget about because I’m a strong believer that people live on through memory, so keeping her memory alive-we want to make sure it never happens again and that other students know the dangers of drinking and driving.”
Entering 4th year this fall, Borsato and the rest of his faculty-the year that Andrea was a part of- hope to have the memorial built on campus by the time they graduate.
Borsato also has hopes this memorial reminds Western students everyday of the effects of impaired driving and how it impacts a community.
All the funds raised go to MADD London and building the memorial on campus.
You can donate to the fundraiser for Andrea’s memorial on:
– Facebook
– Website