MADD West Virginia has exciting volunteer opportunities for both men and women in your local community all across our state.  Every person can make a difference in our efforts to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime, and prevent underage drinking.  Whether you can volunteer for a few hours each month, or regularly each week, we have a place for you.

Here are some of the ways that you can volunteer:

* State Operations Council Member - Our State Operations Council meets bimonthly and provides guidance to the state office on program development, fundraising, volunteer recruitment, budgeting, victim services, legislative policy, and other MADD matters.  SOC members are expected to actively assist in implementing and expanding MADD programs and services.  Meetings are generally held in the Charleston area.   

* Volunteer Victim Advocate - Volunteer victim advocates provide direct services at no charge to victims of drunk driving crashes and/or their families.  Volunteer victim advocates offer emotional support, provide information about drunk driving laws and victim rights, establish support groups, accompany victims to court, assist victims in completing and filing crime victim compensation forms, and refer victims to professional counseling, legal representation and other supportive services.  Interested volunteers must pass a criminal background check and complete a victim advocate training program which includes online study plus two days at MADD National headquarters in Irving, Texas.  Volunteer victim advocates are particularly needed in the northern panhandle, the eastern panhandle, and the southern coalfields areas of West Virginia.

* Public Awareness Volunteer - Set up and staff MADD information and fundraising displays at fairs, festivals, conferences, malls, and other public venues.  Participate in parades and help organize special events.  Work with your local law enforcement in distributing MADD materials at sobriety checkpoints.  Deliver presentations about MADD to civic and community organizations.  Distribute brochures and other materials to libraries, hospitals and other public facilities.

* Fundraising Volunteer -  Make a financial contribution to MADD West Virginia.  Help us contact businesses and individuals in your community to raise funds to accomplish our mission.  Seek out in-kind gifts of useful items and services.  Encourage memorial giving in honor of loved ones.  Organize fundraising activities in your community.

* Victim Impact Presenter - Are you the victim or a family member of a victim of a drunk driving crash?  We need victims and/or family members of victims who are willing to tell their story to offenders and to community groups.  Through these victim impact presentations, you can help us prevent the terrible tragedy of DUI crashes from happening to other families.   

* Underage Drinking Prevention Volunteer - Help present MADD programs in your local school system.  Encourage the development of a UMADD chapter on your local college campus.  Advocate for preserving the 21 drinking age.  Organize Youth in Action teams to work with local law enforcement on limiting social and retail access to alcohol by those under 21.  Interested Youth in Action team volunteer leaders must pass a criminal background check and complete a local training program.

* Tie One On for Safety Campaign Volunteer - The holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day is the deadliest time of the year for drunk driving crashes.  "Tie One On for Safety" is an annual MADD campaign that focuses attention on preventing drunk driving and saving lives during this holiday period.  Volunteers are needed to distribute MADD red ribbons during November and December to remind the public to drive safe, sober and buckled up.  Volunteers also encourage businesses and companies to participate in this annual campaign and assist with local media events to increase public awareness. 

If you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, or if you have additional ideas for how you would like to help MADD, please contact the MADD West Virginia office at 304-776-0222 (locally) or 800-776-0635 (toll-free), or e-mail us at:  wv.state@madd.org.  Stand up and be counted!  We need your help and we look forward to hearing from you.