Andrea Lynn Nicole Bailes was born Tuesday, July 29, 1997. She was the youngest of three children and the only girl. She was a happy baby, therefore earning the nickname Smiley at a very young age. Through her younger years, she was a tough kid. She broke her elbow on the playground when she was 5 and didn't shed but a few tears and then wanted to go back to playing and doing cartwheels. As Andrea got older she began to dabble with sports, trying basketball, baton, cheerleading, volleyball and soccer but her passion was undoubtedly found through gymnastics even though all sports came to her naturally. She was on the competition team at Southern Ohio Gymnastics Academy where she was a back-to-back state champion on the uneven bars in the state of Ohio. She practiced anywhere from 20-28 hours a week, putting her in the gym for about 32-36 hours since she also helped work birthday parties. She received the 110% award from her coaches in her gym. Andrea attended Camp Woodward in Woodward, Penn for three years in a row, receiving multiple awards which included being tapped as an outstanding camper. Andrea was also a member of Wyoma Pentecostal Church and was always eager to go and wanted to sit front and center. She was a member of her jr high school soccer team and was also a 3.8 average student even while taking on all the other tasks. She was part of the HATS program and loved attending camp at Marshall University, that program now gives out a scholarship in her name to a very deserving high school senior every year. Andrea had a very bright future and we were excited to see where her drive and determinatio was going to take her, she wanted to save the world. But because of someone's irresponsible and selfish decisions she ever got that chance. On Friday, November 18, 2011, Andrea went to the early movie with a friend and her father. She chose the early one so she could get home early in preparation for her first gymnastics meet as a level 7 gymnast on Saturday morning. After the movie, they were headed home when a man with 9 previous offenses of DUI hit the car she was riding in head on, killing Andrea instantly. Her life was gone on a split second. No gymnastics meet, no more birthday parties, no more hugs, no more milestones, no more radiating smiles that lit up the room, no more contagious laughter, no more memories. Over. One man's irresponsible and selfish decision took her from her family, friends, and erased her future.
Throughout this tragedy, Andrea's family and friends have created a group called Andrea's Army, a group that fights against drinking and driving. They educate the community of the dangers of DUI by holding assemblies at the surrounding high schools, setting up booths of awareness at community functions, and fighting for tougher laws. In March of 2015, the efforts of Andrea's Army and West Virginia delegates paid off and a bill was passed in her honor. Andrea and Willy's Law was written to toughen previous DUI laws, the law took effect on June 16, 2015. Willy Shuman was a young man from WV that was also killed by a drunk driver just days before leaving for the Air Force in 2009. The dedicated group won't stop there, they held a sobriety checkpoint with local police department in June, they are in the process of making a road safety video, they do face painting at local events, they will continue to do assemblies around the area and her best friend will continue to represent WV and Andrea at the SADD Speaks convention held in Washington DC in July. Andrea's Army has also created a scholarship in her name for a graduating senior at Point Pleasant High School to begin in 2016 when she ahoulsve graduated. They hold the Andrea Bailes Indoor Soccer Tournament and the Andrea Bailes Gymnastics Invitational in her honor annually.
We are hoping through this work, we can help save lives as Andrea had planned to do. Saving others from living through this nightmare is our only hope.
