CAID Softball Tourney Update

The clock is ticking to CAID's largest fundraiser of the year - our 2009 Softball Tourney is about 5 weeks away!

It's an exciting time for CAID...plans for this event have been in the works for months!

The registration deadline is just 6 days away - that means if you plan to participate and haven't gotten a team together yet, you better get moving! There's not much time to waste. All registration forms and payments must be in by Wednesday, July 15.

We need to order t-shirts and make plans for refreshments, brackets, and umpires...we appreciate everyone's cooperation as we plan to make this event twice as successful as last year.

I'll have updates here for all the teams and spectators in the days ahead...so stay tuned!

Thanks,

Deanna

Stallworth Should Be Ashamed

It's not uncommon for sports celebrities to indulge and disobey the law, so when Cleveland Browns' receiver Donte Stallworth was arrested for driving drunk and killing a pedestrian in Miami earlier this spring, I wasn't very surprised.

I was however very disappointed to hear the judge's ruling in the criminal case. Earlier this week, Stallworth was sentenced to just 30 days in jail for killing the 59 year old construction worker. When he finishes his month-long sentence he'll be under house arrest for two years and eight years of probation. He killed someone, and yet he only gets a month in jail?

I don't care if he was the NFL MVP, that doesn't give him a "get out of jail free" card.

Speaking of the NFL, Commissioner Roger Goodell had no sympathy for Stallworth. The league indefinitely suspended him for what he did.

Kudos to Goodell for taking this action, at least someone recognizes that what he did was inexcusable. At least his professional football career is over.

The family and friends of the construction worker has been robbed of a life.

Deanna

Thinking of my sister

So it's a Friday night. A night when many people party, sometimes too much.

It was a Friday night when my sister was ripped away from my life because of such a careless decision - a drunk driver.

Tonight, I'm thinking about Karen and what a great person she was...a sister and a friend.

In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips. ~Author Unknown

Sisters are different flowers from the same garden. ~Author Unknown

A sister smiles when one tells one's stories - for she knows where the decoration has been added. ~Chris Montaigne

What's the good of news if you haven't a sister to share it? ~Jenny DeVries

Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship. ~Margaret Mead

Love you Karen and miss you lots!

Dee

A Friday morning I won't forget

As most readers to this blog know, I lost my sister Karen to a drunk driving crash 11 years ago, and since 1998 have been speaking out about the crash in an effort to make sure no one else goes through that devastation.

So as I packed up my stuff this morning and headed to South Park High School (tonight's their prom), it was just another school presentation..I was wrong.

I patiently waited for the assistant district attorney and police officer to speak. Both of these ladies were excellent. The prosecutor spoke about a crash involving a five year old girl, headed back from a wedding who was decapitated.

The officer told of a police chase she was involved in just last week in which she encountered one of the "drunkest" people she's ever met.

Then it was my turn.

I stepped in front of the students - about 100 or so - and started my PowerPoint. The first slide - a picture of Karen in her dorm hallway.

As I went through the story of what kind of person she was, what happened on that cold March night 11 years ago, I could see tears forming in some eyes.

When I go to all these schools, I don't expect to impact all the teens. After all, it's impossible to reach every one of them. I do hope that at least one listens and doesn't drink...let alone drink and drive.

These students actually got a "2 for 1". Katie, Karen's friend who was driving also spoke about the crash and how her life has been impacted by this drunk driver. How police came to her parents door and they thought Katie was dead.

Katie's a teacher at South Park, someone these kids see in the halls all the time. Now, it's a constant reminder of the dangers of DWI.

It really was an eye-opening experience for these kids.

I was overwhelmed by the response when students came up to me afterwards. Lots of hugs, both students and teachers contributed to Crusade Against Impaired Driving, Inc. (I think we raised $200 for CAID). Some walked away with flyers about CAID's largest fundraiser, coming up this August, the CAID 2nd Annual Softball Tournament.

I think some of these kids really got it. What was it? Perhaps it was a combination of things - Karen being a teenager, the crash took place in South Buffalo, Katie talking about how the crash impacted her...whatever it was...something got to them.

A special thank you to South Park High School, Katie (she never talks about it so I could see that it was hard), and everyone who supports Crusade Against Impaired Driving.

Until next time...


Deanna

Shameful...but thank goodness the kids weren't hurt

Last spring, I spoke at Iroquois Central High School about the dangers of drinking and driving. An auditorium full of juniors and seniors listened to me pour out my heart as I begged them not to drink and drive and be more aware of adults who do. I even went to their senior prom to remind them about the dangers of DWI

That's why this story hit close to home...I have a special bond with that school.

Monday morning, Robert Donnelly, a 70 year old East Aurora man drove four students from Iroquois to the Baker Road School in Orchard Park. He was drunk. Luckily the students got to their destination safely.

When he arrived back at the school, a supervisor smelled alcohol on his breath then alerted school officials and police. Donnelly was charged with DWI, he blew a .14 BAC. That was the exact same BAC that Michael McCarthy blew. He was the drunk driver convicted of killing my sister Karen.

Not only was Donnelly charged by state police, he was also placed on unpaid administrative leave at the district, where he had been a driver for the past eight years.

My question is this: What was he drinking for so early in the morning? Perhaps he has a serious drinking problem?

Didn't the kids smell any alcohol on his breath?

Perhaps police and school district officials should not look at this as an isolated incident, but instead take precautions with bus drivers to make sure it doesn't happen again. Train the drivers, bring in speakers (like myself) to talk about the dangers of DWI, and be more aware of those who try to drive drunk.

This could happen again.

Thank goodness no one was hurt.

Deanna

Latest on the 2009 CAID Softball Tourney

Plans are underway for the 2009 CAID Softball Tournament!

Here are the details:

Saturday, August 15, 2009
Games start at 9am
Sunshine Park
East and West Road, West Seneca

The registration fee is just $200 a team. We are also looking for donations for the silent auction.

Prizes include gift certificates from Darien Lake, the Bisons, gift baskets and much more!

For team registration forms or if you'd like to donate, email me at deanna@karenscrusade.org

Thanks!

Deanna

More young lives snuffed out too soon - only this time it's different

He was just 22 years old, had just pitched one of his best games of his short major league career.

Soon after he left the ballpark, Nick Adenhart was hit by a driver with a .24 BAC - three times the legal limit. That crash killed the California Angels pitcher, along with a 20 year old California State University student and a law student. Another victim is fighting for his life in the hospital.

Unfortunately, it's another sad story of young lives - on the cusp of the rest of their lives - taken by a driver who made a bad choice. Police say the drunk driver, 22 year old Andrew Thomas Gallo, was on probation, he was driving with a suspended license. They say he ran a red light, and slammed into the car carrying Adenhart, and three of his friends. Then Gallo fled, only to be arrested by police 30 minutes later.

The difference with this case - Gallo's being charged with three counts of murder, along with driving under the influence and leaving the scene of the accident. Rarely do drunk drivers get charged with murder.

Kudos to the California Prosecuters office and the judge who made that decision.

In the case of the death of my sister, the drunk driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault - for the death of Karen and injuries he caused Katie.

All I can think right now is Adenhart was just about to make a name for himself, just about to start leading the Angels to what could have been greatness, and the two others who were killed, who knows...but again a drunk driver took them away - from their family, friends, and the community that loved them.

Think what could have been - what he could have been - what his friends could have contributed to society, nope, not going to happen...all because of a drunk driver.

When are things going to change? When are people going to learn that they can't drink, drive, and get home safely?

Drunk driving takes too many lives - I'm going to keep fighting against it until stories like this become non-existent.

Deanna