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Community gathers at Ollie's Ride for Change to advocate for safer roads, honor lives lost
Community members gathered June 7 at Colorado State University to advocate for safer roads in honor of people who died due to distracted driving — including 10-year-old Oliver Stratton of Timnath.
Ollie's Ride for Change was held at the Lagoon at CSU to honor Stratton's life and all those who have died in crashes caused by distracted driving. Stratton was hit and killed while riding his bike in his Timnath neighborhood in August 2023. The driver in the crash was sentenced to one year in jail earlier this year after a jury found her guilty of careless driving. The driver had been using her phone in the seconds leading up to the crash.
The June 7 event — hosted by the nonprofit formed by Stratton's family called Ollie's Bike Parade — is the second annual event of its kind to raise awareness in Stratton's honor. Last year's bike parade drew hundreds of community members to Timnath Community Park for bicycle decorating, a family-friendly bike parade, activity tents, food trucks and more.
This year's event, now organized in collaboration with Colorado State University, included much of the same, according to a news release prior to the event. The Pokemon-themed family-friendly bike parade began at 10 a.m., with free bicycle decorating kits available ahead of the parade.
A road safety expo, bike decorating contest, memorial and advocacy tent with a ghost bike graveyard representing bicyclists who died since 2023, food trucks, face painting and other activities were also planned.
The day's activities were meant to be about more than just the event, but to be the continuation of a movement to demand safer roads, higher penalties for distracted driving and honor lives lost in distracted driving crashes, according to the news release.
"This is about ensuring no more families are shattered by preventable tragedies," Stratton's mother, Clarissa Stratton, said in the news release. "We need real change, and it starts here."
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Ollie's Ride for Change held at Colorado State University June 7
