MADD ACTION TEAM BEING FORMED IN CAPE COUNTY

Victims of drunk driving accidents now have a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Community Action Team in Cape Girardeau County to turn to for assistance and support.

The team, started by the Cape Girardeau Community Traffic Safety program, will hold its first organizational meeting next month. A time and place remain to be announced, said the safety program's coordinator, Sharee Galnore.

"Over the past year we have received phone calls from families asking if there was such an organization available," said Glanore. "There is interest in forming such a group and that's why we decided to go forward with it at this time."

The team would be open to victims of drunk drivers who wish to become members. Team membership is not only open to family members or relatives of people killed by drunk drivers, but also to people injured in accidents along with their family members, said Galnore.

The team is not a MADD chapter. Galnore said it differs only in that the activities it will participate in will originate from the state level.

For instance, the team is supporting the current red-ribbon campaign to remind drivers to not drink and drive. Though the team has yet to have its organizational meeting, it is technically considered a team at this time according to MADD state guidelines, said Cape Girardeau Police Sgt. Carl Kinnison.

Cape Girardeau has never had a MADD chapter, Galnore said. The traffic safety program only supported MADD.

Probably only one focus area will be picked at this time for the team and that will be to offer a support group for victims of drunk drivers, said Galnore. With time, she said, the team will grow into more extensive MADD-related activities.

Galnore said the team would be available to people whose lives were totally changed after they were injured in accidents with drunk drivers. Galnore said those people either now have to depend on family members for help or they have incurred huge financial debts and are looking for information and support.

Typically, Galnore said, when a community action team is started the number of people taking part may be as low as 10 to 15. From there the group will grow, she said.

"It just happens," she said, "that at this time there are several community action teams starting in various cities across the state that are of similar size to Cape."

Kinnison said he believes the team is something that is needed here. "I think it's very worthwhile for the community and would be an asset to the community," he said.

Kinnison said the police department's victim advocate provides some of the services MADD advocates, but there are other services the community does not have access to.

Anyone interested in obtaining more information or becoming a member of the team should contact Galnore at 335-7908.