The page is plain and simple – white background, the text and pictures arranged like a newspaper’s – with news, updates, videos, and articles, all of which are geared to MADD’s mission, as can be seen under their boldfaced type, Activism/ Victim Services/ Education, all related to drunk driving. It is refreshing to see a website with less clutter and more meat: in this case, www. madd. org, civil society group Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s home in cyberspace.
Unlike other web pages that have attention-grabbing ad banners, MADD’s website focuses more on their advocacy. Since MADD is a non-profit organization, it is financed by donors and sponsors. Donors can be anyone who is sympathetic to the cause and would like to give money to help the organization continue its work, while there are some big companies in their roster of sponsors such as the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, General Motors, Chapter One Bank, and Dial America who commit monetary aid and also support and promote MADD’s advocacy.
It is also fueled and run by volunteers, most of whom first volunteered at local MADD offices in their communities, most of them members of families who have lost a loved one because of drunk driving. MADD is also represented by nationally recognized leaders and celebrities who lend their names and time in pushing forth MADD’s mission, like Jeanne Phillips of Dear Abby column, Kelly Ripa of All My Children, and Miss America 2006 Jennifer Berry.
One does not have to be a survivor of drunk driving, or a family member of a victim to be able to understand the thrust of MADD. Anyone who has a moral fiber and innate sense of social responsibility will be gladdened to visit MADD’s website as it offers a treasure trove of useful information – statistics on drunk driving, accidents, deaths, legislations, and what one can do to help and make a difference.
The Essay on Driving Drunk Or Drugged
... home rather than driving drunk, then MADD wouldn’t need to be created in the first place for that many deaths. (website #5) Last, drugged ... who joined together and formed a team called Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The group was originally organized in 1980 and has evolved ...
More than that, MADD also functions as a support group – it has stories about victims and survivors, about families and how they coped with their grief and loss, with fights for justice. MADD also has events to raise funds and awareness for their cause, and magazines to update and educate people about their progress. I found the site interesting because the sincerity of the people behind MADD was evident – they are serious about the issue of drunk driving, and it resonates.
Perhaps the most important realization I have learned from MADD was that a single event can change a person’s life so drastically, affect him or her to the core, disturb him sufficiently that after that they are intrinsically changed – and it does not stop there, because after knowing that kind of pain they work hard to make the world a better place, even in just that aspect. It is very touching and inspiring, how they turned their personal grievances into collective action. There are no drunk drivers in the information highway, but I appreciate the effort, dedication and vigilance that MADD offers to people worldwide.
