MADD - Archives

What a gift. I am sitting on the plane and can barely refrain from every now-and-then throwing my arms in the air and squealing, "Hooray!" Instead I quietly giggle to myself so my fellow passengers don't think they are trapped on this flight with a crazy lady. MADD’s VP of Public Policy, JT Griffin, just called me to inform me that the federal transportation bill passed with most of our requests included. I am ecstatic because this will help save thousands of lives.

This weekend marks the end of my first year as president. I can't believe it has gone by so fast. I have been asked what I think my greatest accomplishment has been during this time and I had a difficult time with that question...until today. I cannot accurately describe my feelings because I am so elated. Why? Because this bill will literally prevent so many families from suffering the agony of having someone they love killed or injured by a drunk driver. It will help prevent so many individuals from suffering a lifetime of emotional or physical pain as a result of someone's choice to drive after drinking.

MADD puts a face to the numbers. We are blessed to have the most skilled public policy team for which you could ever dream. JT Griffin, Stephanie Manning and Steve O'Toole know exactly which Congress committee members and staff with whom to work...and I mean work. Together, we have persistently worn down the marble floors on Capitol Hill and depleted our cell phone batteries behind the scene in order to get our priorities in the legislation. We also owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to many congressional staff persons who worked tirelessly with us. On the state level, Frank Harris is equally as talented in working with many of you to pass ignition interlock legislation.

My message to each of you in our MADD family is how your stories make a difference. We put a face to the numbers. This year I watched the effect Connie Russell had on the Florida House Judicial Committee as she told them how her only child, Matthew, was killed by a drunk driver. I watched the effect Ron Bersani, Melanie’s grandfather, had on Massachusetts legislature as he shared her story. And I personally experienced how members of Congress and their staff responded to our requests after listening to Alisa's story. I have personally experienced the power of the personal story.

I often wonder what Alisa would be thinking as her story and her pictures are spread around the country. Her closest friend was laughing recently as we discussed just that. She said Alisa would be mortified. I don't doubt that, because she once told me that in ballet class she didn’t like being the dancer that the instructor had everyone observe in order to perform a specific movement correctly. She would say, "I just want to be normal." Of course, that was a teenage girl talking, but she never sought attention. She just liked to dance. However, she cared so deeply about everything living I want to believe she would be okay with it.

My absolute favorite part of this past year has been spending time with our MADD family around the country. I want to shout from the treetops how amazing you all are. Everywhere I go I am inspired and humbled by your dedication to working hard to support our mission. It isn't easy. It takes hard work. Each of you is committed to the challenge. I love you for that. You are all about saving lives and giving the best support possible to people victimized by impaired driving.

We are determined to eliminate this violent crime. That is why we must stay focused on the countermeasures that are most effective in saving the most lives in the shortest time. Wasting time and energy on efforts that feel good but do not accomplish this goal costs lives! I am personally not willing to do that. That is why I am thrilled with the new transportation bill. It will save more lives sooner, so fewer families will have tragic stories to tell. Instead they will have new pictures of memorable events to put in their family albums.

I applaud each of you. It is an honor to walk beside you on our journey. It is a privilege to be part of this wonderful family.

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Boise Walk Like MADD®
By MADD | June 27, 2012 | Filed in: General

This past Saturday was the first ever Walk Like MADD event in Boise, Idaho. More than 120 registered walkers, runners and dogs showed up to walk in support of MADD’s mission. The Boise Walk Like MADD event had a fundraising goal of $5,000, which they have already surpassed by raising more than $6,300 dollars—an impressive amount for an event put on by a group of volunteers.

More than a dozen of the Walk Like MADD events put on each year across the country are run entirely by volunteers who want to make an impact in the fight against drunk driving in their community. In Boise, it started with a group of three MADD volunteers who heard about the opportunity to organize a Walk Like MADD event. As word began to spread, the group began to grow and eventually eight people made up the first ever Boise Walk Like MADD committee—two drunk driving victims/survivors, another MADD volunteer, and five members of the Boise community who all wanted to make a difference for the victims and survivors and their families, as well as help make their community safe from drunk driving.

Thank you to the Boise Walk Like MADD volunteer committee, and the dozens of other MADD volunteers around the country for helping raise awareness and funds for MADD to help put an end to drunk driving through Walk Like MADD events.

Whatever your reason, if you are interested in putting on a Walk Like MADD event in your community, or just learning more about it, contact wlmsupport@madd.org.

*All photos provided by Marit Welker.

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Betty Stadler, Founder of MADD Idaho
By Jan Withers | June 26, 2012 | Filed in: General , National President

Elegant, courageous, regal, strong, gracious, powerful, kind and clearly a force to be reckoned with. These words are what come to mind when I think of the founding mother of MADD Idaho, Betty Stadler. I had the privilege to meet and spend time with Betty last week—how inspiring she is. Betty is now 90 years young.

In 1987 her daughter, Carol, was killed by a drunk driver and Carol’s husband was critically injured. Not many months after that, Betty began a MADD Chapter and they have been going strong ever since. Her daughter, Sue, told me her mother immediately engaged the governor, the mayor and the prosecutor, as they moved forward to address drunk driving as a serious crime instead of a mistake or accident.

We were accompanied at dinner by (from left to right) Sue Stadler (Betty’s daughter), Pam Gill, James Bryant, Therese Woozley, and Miren Aburusa.

At MADD Idaho’s very first Walk Like MADD event, Betty was honored by over one hundred individuals who came out to walk—what a celebration. The day prior to the Walk, MADD volunteers and staff spent a full day working on strategies to reach more people victimized by drunk and drugged driving. MADD Idaho volunteers and staff are amazing; they do so much with little resources. They follow Betty’s example beautifully. MADD Idaho is a force to be reckoned with! What a legacy their work is to her.

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MADD Announces New Board Members
By MADD | June 21, 2012 | Filed in: General

We are thrilled to announce five new members to our National Board of Directors! This diverse group of new members brings a range of experience, including grassroots activism, underage drinking prevention, financial expertise and much more.

	Steven Benvenisti, New Jersey. During Steven's senior year of college, he was walking while on spring break when he was struck by a habitual drunk driver. His legs were crushed and he was in a coma for 10 days. He spent six months in the hospital, enduring 15 surgeries and intense rehabilitation. After that crash, he turned to MADD and found victim advocates in Florida and New Jersey who helped him and his family deal with the challenges from the crash. He fully recovered, went on to law school, and now is a partner at the law firm of Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, where he represents victims of drunk driving and their families in lawsuits against the drunk drivers and those who served them. He has served on the New Jersey Advisory Board for MADD for several years, and shares his story to audiences around the country.
	Brad Bulla, Tennessee. At the age of 17, Brad’s son, Jed, was a champion fiddle player and had been playing since he was six years old. In August 2005, Jed was practicing to compete at the Grand Master Fiddle Contest, but his life was cut short when he took a ride with an underage drunk driver. The pickup got up above 100 MPH before the driver lost control. Jed was thrown from the truck to the side of the road, where he died. Brad starting working with MADD shortly after the crash. He has been a frequent speaker on victim impact panels, including at the national 2009 Lifesavers Conference, and a force for stronger drunk driving laws in his home state of Tennessee.
	Frank Magourilos, New Mexico. Frank is a Senior Prevention Specialist for the Santa Fe County DWI Program. In this role, he has worked closely with MADD New Mexico, the New Mexico Traffic Safety Bureau, and the New Mexico Prevention Network. He has tirelessly supported and implemented MADD’s Power of Parents™ underage drinking prevention program throughout the state of New Mexico and is a large part of the success the Power of Parents program has had in the state. He is also one of just a handful of individuals in the country with a Master’s Degree in Prevention Science from the University of Oklahoma. Additionally, Frank is a National Trainer and Consultant with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
	Mahesh Shetty, Texas. Mahesh is Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Encore Enterprises, Inc., a Dallas-based real estate investment company. He has more than 25 years of experience as a senior finance executive and started his career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Dallas Business Journal named him their 2011 CFO of the Year for companies with $50-99 million in revenue. He is also a vice chair of the Committee on Finance and IT at Financial Executives International, the leading U.S. association for CFOs and other senior finance executives
	Monica Vandehei, Connecticut. In high school, Monica not only excelled in her studies, but also completed more than 350 hours of community service — most of which was with MADD Connecticut. She has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor the organization has to give, and in addition to MADD and Girl Scouts, has volunteered with the United States Coast Guard Academy’s Ensign Edibles Program and the Shoreline Soup Kitchen. She credits her values, her peer group and her parents with helping her refrain from underage drinking. Monica just finished her first year at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., studying Music Business.

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Featured Event: Fort Lauderdale Walk Like MADD and MADD Dash
By MADD | June 5, 2012 | Filed in: General

On Sunday, May 6th 2012, over 600 participants gathered in Huizenga Plaza in downtown Fort Lauderdale for the third annual Walk Like MADD^®. The Fort Lauderdale Walk is unique because along with the traditional, non-competitive 5K Walk, they have a corresponding 5K MADD Dash. Sponsored by Maroone and presented by Ultimate Software, the 5K walk and dash raised more than $84,000, surpassing their original goal by over $15,000!

Great fun was had by all the participants who spent the morning enjoying a wide variety of activities including a kids zone, vendor fair, live music and of course great food. Local law enforcement agencies supported the festivities with displays that included a seat belt convincer as well as having the bat mobile on hand for people to see. Each walker and runner were provided a goodie bag with many fun filled items supplied by sponsors to help them remember the event.

Over 80 volunteers helped to make this event a great success, and we could not have done it without all of their hard work and commitment to putting on a first class experience for our guests. A special thanks goes out to the Walk Committee Chairperson Heather Geronemus, who pulled the whole thing together for the second year in a row and insured the event’s success.