HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- It has been seven years since Roy Woolwine last saw his son Frank. One decision the 16-year-old made when his parents were out of town changed everything for their family.
Frank was inebriated when jumped into car, according to his father. Within four minutes of leaving home, he crashed into a tree and died from his injuries.
Woolwine said the speed limit on that stretch of road was 35 mph. Frank was clocked at 79 mph and had a blood alcohol of .19.
“Obviously, he made a stupid decision," Woolwine said. "One, to drink because he was only 16. And, two, to get into a vehicle.”
Woolwine described his son as outgoing, loveable and very athletic. He said the teen was a good football player and an even better lacrosse player.
Since the sudden loss, Woolwine has been determined to share Frank’s story with high school students across Virginia.
He created a foundation called the Frankie Challenge, designed to share Frank's story with kids in hopes of helping them make better decisions.
“I vowed to do whatever I could to prevent it from happening again,” Woolwine said.
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While the CDC states that rates of underage drinking have declined in recent decades, the agency said it remains a significant public health problem as excessive underage drinking leads to roughly 3,900 deaths each year.
Woolwine’s efforts are one of many to help high schoolers understand the consequences that can come from drinking.
The Hanover Sheriff’s Office has partnered with the Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Authority for Project Sticker Shock. It is a decades-long running project that takes place over Super Bowl weekend.
Deputies are partnering with area teens to put preventative stickers on alcohol bottles in convenience and grocery stores. The hope is to reach a 21-year-old and encourage them to not purchase alcohol for someone below 21, while also highlighting underage drinking dangers.
“You want to address an issue before it becomes an issue, so this is all about crime prevention and community awareness,” Lt. James Cooper with the Hanover Sheriff’s Office said.
With initiatives like Project Sticker Shock and the Frankie Challenge, leaders hope they can reach more kids to potentially save lives.
"Anything you do, whether it’s putting up a sign in a window, or talking with them," Woolwine said. "The more they see it and hear it, the more I think it’s going to be a deterrent."
You can request the Frankie Challenge to come share Frank’s story by clicking here.
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