MADD OC Year End Letter
As this year draws to a close, we at MADD are grateful for your support over the past year and would like to take this opportunity to offer you our heartfelt thanks. 2009 definitely was a challenging time for us, with the economic downturn, but we were still able to assist many families after the tragedy of impaired driving impacted their lives. I was also able to celebrate my one year anniversary with MADD OC! Without a doubt your support has allowed our efforts over the past 29 years to dramatically lower the number of DUI crashes.
Largely because of your financial support, MADD Orange County has:
· Started a monthly support group for victims of drunk driving
· Entered the digital age with an official Blog, Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter pages to keep you up to date about our traffic safety related matters that concern you
· Started our county’s 2nd UMADD chapter at UCI
· Served over 100 new survivors and victim families of DUI-related crashes as well as offered continued support and assistance to an additional 100 survivors and victim families
· Participated in 38 speaking engagements and 36 DUI checkpoints sharing our lifesaving message with over 25,000 people
· Grew our Youth In Action underage drinking prevention program by 100%
As some of you know I lost my mother, Debbie, five years ago to a drunk driver. My life seemed so out of control. There were so many emotions; loneliness, frustration, and anger. Being involved with MADD helped me begin the healing process, as did speaking out about my mother and how my family’s life had been forever changed. MADD supported me through out the entire case by providing me with a victim advocate and to this day MADD still continues to give me the support I need. I will always be grateful for what MADD has done for me. Through MADD I have met others who had suffered similar tragedies and formed relationships that will last a lifetime.
My work here at MADD has given purpose to my mother’s death, been therapeutic for me, and provides a great sense of satisfaction. I know that my work with MADD, which allows me to deliver a life saving message to hundreds of teenagers and adults each year, is something that would please my mother Debbie.
On behalf of my friends at Mothers Against Drunk Driving, I am asking you to honor loved ones that we have lost by making a donation so that we can continue our mission and promise to our community to stop drunk driving. Your help is greatly needed to get the message across that drunk driving is a choice that should not be made.
In 2010 I will continue to speak out about MADD’s mission; as well as raise funds for MADD, in honor of my mother Debbie and in celebration of the thousands of other lives affected by drunk drivers. I thank you for your time in reading this and wish you and your family a very Happy Holiday Season.
Desiree Garcia
Dedicated Daughter
MADD Development Officer
