On September 17, 2017, the St. Thomas community lost student Ria Patel, who died in the passenger seat of a drunk driving accident at the corner of Stinson Boulevard Northeast and Ridgeway Parkway in Minneapolis.

Over two years later, her friends keep her memory alive by hosting a virtual 5K run/walk to raise money for the Ria Patel Foundation and teach people the dangers of drunk and distracted driving.

“Whether it be getting behind the vehicle after having a couple of drinks or looking at your phone or playing with the radio or checking your makeup or hair. It is some sort of distraction,” Raveena Patel, Ria’s cousin and founder of the Ria Patel Foundation, said.

Members of the foundation go to places like elementary and middle schools in the Twin-Cities area “to educate and inspire children, teenagers, and young adults to be positive role models, and to speak out and stand up against dangerous or destructive behaviors,” according to the foundation’s website.

They want Ria’s story to impact other young people.

“If a real story impacts someone, like one person, I think it’s enough,” Patel said. “If it sticks with someone, they can then go spread the message.”

In addition to raising money for the foundation, money from the run also goes to other organizations that support different causes, such as food donations to people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While we are an organization to create awareness about distracted driving, we are trying to find different ways to implement that into our communities,” Patel said.

The virtual 5K walk/run event will be held from May 17- 25. The Ria Patel Foundation is using the hashtag #RunforRia to promote awareness for the run and to talk about the dangers of distracted driving.

“People can sign up and register with $10 and the proceeds go to the foundation,” Ava Diaz, a 2019 St. Thomas graduate and former roommate of Ria’s, said.

Ria is remembered by friends as someone with a “kind and caring heart.”

“She was the life of the party, always the person to make you feel better,” Jenny Osland, a close friend of Ria’s, said.

After Ria died, a vigil was hosted in front of the Arches in her honor. Hundreds of people attended the vigil, showing the impact the accident caused on campus.

Her friends believe that even now, two years and 8 months later, an event in her honor can help the St. Thomas community.

“I think that a lot more people would participate if they knew that an accident like this happened to someone. Not even someone they knew, but someone in their community,” Osland said.

Patel said there are alternatives to drunk driving or getting into a car with someone who has been drinking.

“There is bound to be underage drinking,” Patel said. “But you have options such as Uber and Lyft, you have rideshare options, you have friends who don’t drink as well as family to call. I think they would be a lot happier to know that you called them rather than you getting behind the wheel and putting yourself and others in danger.”

Ria’s memory continues to live on through the work of the Ria Patel Foundation and through her friends who are preparing to run the virtual 5K.

“It’s for a good cause and goes to support the memory of our friend, and it means a lot to us to raise awareness,” Diaz said. “It makes it more enjoyable to run for a good cause and to run for her.”

Mae Macfarlane can be reached at macf7507@stthomas.edu.