The Start of Summer

Every year Memorial Day weekend marks the true beginning of summer. Celebrated by the opening of pools and backyard cook-outs, memorial day seems to be the kick off to a season of outdoor fun and relaxation. It is also starts a dangerous season on our roadways. As traffic increases for summer travel, so do fatal crashes.

Nebraska State Patrol and other Nebraska Law Enforcement Agencies across the state are working throughout this busy summer traffic season to keep our roads safe. The 100 days of summer campaign is their effort to keep Nebraska’s roads safe from memorial day to labor day, through special enforcement efforts. They are working to drive down crash numbers over this summer and make sure we can all relax and enjoy these next few months. Their hard work will keep us all safer as we travel this year. We can all help them out by making good decisions throughout the summer months, making sure to always have a sober designated driver if your plans include alcohol and always wearing your seatbelt.

We here at MADD Nebraska hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend and a fun, safe summer.

A Big Thank You

Next week we get the opportunity to thank the men and women of Nebraska’s Law Enforcement that are working to keep our roads safe. It is always such an honor for us to sit in a room filled with the heroes who work day in and day out to keep our families safe. For the last 14 years we have taken a day to acknowledge the best of the best in the state of Nebraska for the year when it comes to DUI/DWI and MIP arrests and education, as well as partners in probation, county attorneys and community members. Success when it comes to drinking and driving involves all of these aspects and we know that MADD’s accomplishments are made by all of those people working hard across the board to reduce alcohol impaired driving.

We encourage you this week, in whatever you are doing to take a moment to thank the members of Law Enforcement. And to thank their families, for they too make many sacrifices, long hours, late nights, sudden calls, and never knowing if your loved one is coming home safe. So thank them all, tell them good job and acknowledge that the sacrifices they make are the ones that let us sleep easy at night. They are heroes and we don’t tell them often enough, so let’s all take this next week to make sure they know just how much we appreciate all they do for all of us!

 

The Power of A Mother

Here at MADD we spend a lot of time educating people that we are more than just mothers, that fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, can all be involved in making a difference. In all of that, I think we sometimes forget, the Power of a Mother. Not that Dads, and brothers, and friends, don’t make a difference, they do! They are making a huge difference across our state, country and beyond and we can’t thank them enough for it! But, there is just something about how a mother can change the world.

We are Mothers Against Drunk Driving, because of a mother. A devastated, passionate, world changing mother. So many lives have been saved, because of her, joining with other mothers and saying they had enough. Because we all know, that nobody fixes a problem like a mother. Moms are the ones we turn to, when we skin our knee, when we fall in love and when we get our hearts broken, they dry our tears, hold our hands and celebrate our joys. They are our mothers and they have the power to make things better like no one else can.

While we haven’t yet eliminated drunk driving from our roads, we have seen great decreases in the numbers and a change in attitude across the country. This is the power of a mother, to make things better. Even when they feel they are at their worst, they have this amazing ability to make things get better. It may not happen over night, but when a mother puts her mind to something it will happen. We will find the day when drunk driving does not exist, because a bunch of mothers decided that one day it would happen.

As Mother’s Day approaches, we think about all of the mothers who have changed the world with their passion. We thank them, for the work they have done, sacrifices they have made and love they have shared. They are powerful, incredible women, and we thank them for being the amazing mothers that they are.

Resilient

In the wake of tragedy, we find our strength.

We find in these moments after something so horrific happens, that we are all in this together. Over and over we see our country tested, sometimes it seems to affect us all, like the Boston Marathon bombing and sometimes it seems to affect just one family, like a drunk driving crash. But, we have learned, that in the aftermath of any sort of tragedy, people come together to support those directly impacted and show the world, together we are strong and resilient.

Today, we join the many others who are supporting those who have been impacted by recent events. As victims and families of those impacted by other tragedies, we are here supporting you. We know our grief is not the same and we will never know just how you are feeling right now, but we do know that our hearts ache for you. Not because we feel your pain, but because we know you are feeling pain.We know the road to recovery will be long and hard to travel, but hope you know the strength of the nation is behind you.  For every person that thinks tragedy will break us down and tear us apart, they are wrong, tragedy binds us together as a family, a strong family that will overcome.

No matter the tragedy you are overcoming right now, remember, you are not alone..we hope you find comfort and find strength from all of us standing behind you.

Making A Difference

We live in a world of extremes, people think everything must be done big and that bigger is better! But, this week I was reminded how the smallest acts of kindness are the ones that make the biggest impact.

I was invited to a local middle school this Tuesday, to be part of a school assembly. They gave me the basic information, but I had no idea what I was heading into. And I was in awe. In awe of these incredible students who took an assignment and made it into a community impact. Their assignment: Pick a non-profit, research it and prepare a board to present it to others at their annual Make A Difference Fair. What they actually did: Raise over $7,000 for over 50 area non-profits! On top of that they learned, that making a difference in your community starts with a small idea and a big heart!

These young students truly made a difference. It wasn’t about their donation, although it was generous and we appreciate it so much, it was about the lesson they learned and the lessons they taught others. They learned that everyone can do the small things that it takes to change the world, one person at a time we can make a difference. These students taught us that as well, by being in the community, we are making a difference in the fight against drunk driving, one person at a time. How do we know that? Because there are students like these out there believing in the work we do and educating others on our mission. Together, we are all making a difference.

Today, we thank these young students and their teachers. We hope you know just how much your donation meant to us, and even more, we hope you know that you helped change the world.

Bed, Bath and Breathalyzers?

The other day I was looking through the ads that come to my house tucked neatly in the Sunday paper, when I noticed something I didn’t expect to see. Most times there are sales on everything from toilet paper to televisions, but when I cracked open one ad I saw an on sale at-home breathalyzer. Now, I knew that these were around, I have seen them in television advertisements and online, but I did not realize that I could purchase one right down the street at any number of big box stores.

Breathalyzers are an invaluable tool in the fight against drunk driving, the ones that law enforcement use every day both on the street and in the station. The ones they use are highly sensitive, calibrated instruments that were designed to be accurate. They are far more advanced than the ones you and I can buy at the store.

I am not saying that these store bought breathalyzers don’t have their place, it is just not as a tool to stop drinking and driving. If you want to purchase one to use for entertainment purposes, have fun! Might even generate some good conversation. Most of these are even labeled for entertainment purposes only. But, I am afraid a lot of people may see these and think that they are something they can use to determine their if they should drive home after a night of drinking.

So, this weekend, as you are planning your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, remember that breathalyzer you bought in the as seen on tv section is not accurate for determining your ability to drive after drinking! Do you really want to risk your life to an item that is sitting in the sale bin. Make the call before you have your first drink to have a sober designated driver.

Growing Up Too Fast

Our kids are growing up too fast. It is a scary thing that childhood seems to be shorter and shorter these days. Our kids are growing up before they have the chance to be young. Temptations they shouldn’t have to face until a much older age are facing them when they are too young to know the true impact that their choices will have. 

Did you know one in five Eighth graders has tried alcohol? Eighth graders!! And the age seems to keep on getting younger and younger. And if one in five has tried alcohol, how many have been offered alcohol? How many of our youth are being tempted by things they should not have to deal with yet. And alcohol isn’t the only thing coming their way, kids are exposed to things so much younger, sex and drugs, bullying and violence. And I am not saying our kids are capable of handling these things, they are in many ways, but should they have to? And what can we do to prepare them?

You can talk to them. Seems like a pretty obvious answer sometimes, but it is one we forget to do. And it is so important! MADD created the Power of Parents program to help parents with just this! Sometimes, the only reason we don’t talk about things like alcohol is because we aren’t sure how to start the conversation. So, MADD created a handbook, with conversation starters, reasons kids respect for not drinking, and even some possible barriers to the conversation. The great thing is, while this handbook is alcohol focused, it helps promote better communication overall with teens so you can talk about all of those other things they are facing.

We may not be able to slow down time, or keep our kids from being exposed to too much. But, we can try to help prepare them for the world they live in. It is so different from the one we lived in at that age. Believe it or not, they are listening to you, so don’t be afraid to talk to them. It could be the difference between your eighth grader being the one that did try alcohol or one of the four others who did not!