Signs point to sobriety
MADD summer programming brings up boating, golf cart sobriety
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, July 7, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
As summer events in the Deh Cho progress, one booth keeps popping up.
Sharon Allen, back, and relative Kahlehmia Cazon, 6, sport some new swag in support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. - Joseph Tunney/NNSL photo
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At Thomas Simpson Secondary School's graduation dinner, the Dehcho First Nations annual assembly and the Open Sky Creative Society's arts festival, Sharon Allen has been promoting a cause near and dear to her heart - Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
The community leader for MADD in the Northwest Territories, Allen is responsible for overseeing the only branch of the organization in the territory, based out of Fort Simpson.
"I find events are my key times to go out and promote MADD," Allen said, adding she has seen plenty of interest from community members in Fort Simpson and also in Jean Marie River, where she spent two days promoting her cause. Along with selling MADD-emblazoned T-shirts and sweaters, Allen has been doing an awareness campaign for summer sobriety, which extends to vehicles such as boats and golf carts.
"This is basically my life's mission. I don't think I'll ever (stop)," she said.
While many people know not to drink and get behind the wheel of a car, Allen said her message this season is also geared toward summer boaters and people who spend a day at the golf course in Fort Simpson, to reinforce that it's not the type of vehicle that matters.
"Impaired driving is impaired driving,"she said.
In the month of May alone, community members reported 13 instances of impaired driving to RCMP in Fort Simpson.
Three of those resulted in charges, while one resulted in a warning being issued with a 24-hours suspension, according to an RCMP report.
Nine of the vehicles could not be located by officers.
According to the report, RCMP have been patrolling the community in the evening as well as near local bars in an effort to curb drinking and driving.
Allen said the number of community members who reported seeing an impaired driver is good to see.
"It makes me happy to know awareness is working," she said.
