May 2001

Election Results
Congratulations to the newly elected chapter officers who will take office on July 1, 2001: President and Alternate S.O. Rep: Dan Ingram
Vice President: John Pinckney
Secretary/Treasurer: Sue Baldassari
S.O. Rep: Jeff Levy

Victim Support Group
Thanks to grant support from the USAA Foundation, we have a very active Victim Support Group in Northern Virginia. The sessions are open to anyone who has been injured by a drunk driver or who has lost a loved one in a drunk driving crash. Victim Support Groups are one of the most effective tools to aid those whose lives have been altered by the selfish actions of a drunk driver. The sessions, which are facilitated by a licensed professional counselor, are free to the participants and are part of MADD's mission of providing support to the victims of drunk driving crashes. The next meeting will be June 7th. To sign up or for more information, call Sherry Platt at 703-978-3025.

So That We Can Better Serve You, We Need a Few Things from You
Please give us your email address. This newsletter comes out quarterly and we often have information that you will want more frequently than that. To get it to you in a timely manner, we need your e-mail address. Please send us an email at office@maddnova.org and put "News list" as the title or call us at 703-352-3944 and tell us your e-mail address.

True Stories
Have you seen our updated Web site? We have put a few true stories showing the tragedy of drunk driving on our web site. We would like to add a few more stories and hope that you will be willing to help. If you would let us put up your story, please go to www.maddnova.org/truestories/. Then write up your story in about 400 to 800 words and email it to us at office@maddnova.org and we will put it up.

Virginia MADD is planning to conduct a Beginning Victim Advocate Training in a few months. Regretfully, the number of alcohol-related traffic crashes in Northern Virginia is taxing our trained volunteer Victim Advocates. This is a wonderful way to help those who are suffering from the actions of a drunk driver. If you are interested in finding out more about this program, call the office at 703-352-3944 right away.

Have FUN and Volunteer
As we have done for the past several years, we will be operating the Designated Driver Booths at Vintage Virginia on June 2nd and 3rd. This is a great opportunity to help keep our roadways safer and have lots of fun at the same time. We will need about 60 volunteers to help staff the booths that give free soda to those festival attendees who do not chose to taste the wine. In exchange for helping out for a few hours, you get free admission to the festival. Please call the chapter office at 703-352-3944 right away to get on the list.

Victim/Program Coordinator Joins Chapter Staff
Welcome aboard to Kerry Kirk, the chapter's newest staff member. Kerry joins the staff as Victim/Program Coordinator. We expect that, with her addition to the office, the victim services and underage drinking programs in Northern Virginia will become much more active. Kerry has a Masters in Public Health from Indiana University and a BS in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon. Her prior experience includes work with Americorps VISTA, where she worked with volunteers and elementary school students, and the Robert Crown Center for Health Education, where she planned and implemented health education programs for high schools. If you are near the office, please stop by to meet her and welcome her to MADD.

President's Letter
I wish to thank those who made my job as President easier. It takes a lot of work to run a chapter and we've provided services to over 1 million people with only one staff person. Mike Green has done more to turn this chapter around financially and directionally than we could have hoped.

Dan Ingram has been active with the chapter for three years as an effective public speaker, especially with children. As our new President, I know Dan's leadership will keep the pressure up in the war against drunk driving.

Terry and Teresa McCarthy have done a terrific job administering our car donation program. More importantly, however, they generously give their time to speak with students and participate in Victim Impact Panels.

John Pinckney has held almost every position in our chapter possible and now serves on the state level as Public Policy Liaison. John's drive and dedication to our mission is second to none. Equally resolved in MADD's mission is Jeff Levy. His crusade against binge drinking has forced a hidden secret on college campuses out into the open.

Sue Baldassari and Jessica Wexler are just two of our volunteers who generously give their time to participate in our many speaking engagements around the area. I admire their commitment to stopping drunk driving and supporting the victims of this violent crime. Perhaps the most important job is done by our trained victim advocates: Dottie Vazzana, Terry and Teresa McCarthy, Steve Hill, and Kristin Ingram. These volunteers help victims through the trauma of drunk driving. For those us who have to go through this life-altering event, our victim advocate was our lifeline.

Finally, I want to thank my victim advocate, my wife Jennifer. Her support has given me the opportunity to try and make a difference. Thank you Jen. David Kelly

PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS
MADD has a vehicle donations program that benefits donors at tax time and helps us to provide quality services in Northern Virginia. Call 703-779-7534 for information.