LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Sharon Allen doesn't hold back when asking people if they've been drinking and driving.

Sharon Allen, left, and Laurie-Ann Lines were operating a drive-home service from the Beavertail Jamboree dances at the recreation complex on March 13 and 14 as part of Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Allen is one of the lone MADD representatives in the NWT, and this was the first time she had offered the ride service during the jamboree's busiest weekend. - Andrew Livingstone/NNSL photo

Seated at a table at the entrance to the recreation complex, party-goers enter the gymnasium for a night of live music and drinking as part of the 2015 Beavertail Jamboree. Whether they know Allen or not - and for the most part many do - she asks them if they need a ride home after the dance.

It doesn't matter what time it is, she'll drive until sunrise if she has to if it means stopping even one person from getting behind the wheel intoxicated.

And her presence in the village as a Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD) representative - the only one in the territory - doesn't go unnoticed. Residents shake her hand as they enter, donate money, ask for a ride home after and thank her for the work she's doing. Her desire to educate and stop drinking and driving shows through in her energy and infectious smile.

Like many people involved in MADD, Sharon has been affected by the tragic outcomes of drunk driving. Her daughter, Keisha Trudel died on Nov. 23, 2008, at the age of 16 in Fort Smith after being thrown out of a rear passenger window of an SUV. The court was told the 16-year-old driver of the vehicle had been drinking prior to the accident.

"This could happen to anyone," she said of the loss of her daughter, something she still struggles with today. "I know she'd be in university now and about to be graduating. It's been six years and it still hurts."

It's the first year Allen has offered the MADD program during the jamboree festivities. She said the response from the community has been encouraging. Over the course of two nights of driving on March 13 and 14, she had a half-dozen drivers donate their time to help get people home safe after a night of partying.

Laurie-Ann Lines said while there are other campaigns against drinking and driving in the territory, MADD has a different effect on people who encounter it.

"It comes from parents who are affected by drunk driving and you see how it has an impact on them," she said. "You see their faces. Sharon's story is important for people to know and it's great what she is doing in the community."

And a donation can set-up by a co-worker of Allen's at the elementary school helped raise nearly $240 to help cover the cost of the gas used by volunteers. Until the early morning hours both nights, Allen dispatched drivers - and herself - to drive residents home. Using Facebook as a point of contact for people who were looking for a drive, Allen has found a great tool to promote what she is doing and to help raise awareness and educate people of the simple solution of not driving while intoxicated.

"A lot of people are saying they're so happy to see it and they support the cause and believe in it," she said. "I'm just hoping it will catch on in other communities because a lot of them don't have taxi services and other options to get home after a night of drinking."