(Stephenville)—Tarleton State University was selected as one of only five campuses across the United States, and the only university in Texas, to receive funding to establish a campus-based University Mothers Against Drunk Driving (UMADD) program.
CarMax, Inc. and Mothers Against Drunk
Driving (MADD) announced that the CarMax
Foundation granted $150,000 to MADD to establish new student-driven
UMADD chapters and support nine existing UMADD chapters on college campuses
across the country.
The CarMax Foundation is the founding sponsor of the UMADD program, providing
$250,000 in grant funding during 2004 and 2005. Since the grant was awarded
last fall, Tarleton’s UMADD program has coordinated several events
and efforts to support the goal of the campus-based UMADD program, which
is to engage students in prevention strategies against underage drinking,
binge drinking, and impaired driving; limit youth access to alcohol; increase
enforcement of underage drinking and impaired driving laws; and work with
campus leaders to minimize alcohol problems.
Now that the program is near the completion of two full semesters at Tarleton,
members consider it a success. An example of just one of their many activities,
the UMADD group met at Stephenville and Tarleton Campus Police Departments
this week to express appreciation for officer efforts.
Kathy Swindle, community coalitions coordinator for Solutions
Toward Addiction Recovery (STAR) council in Stephenville and a coordinator
for the Tarleton UMADD program says the grant was a result of her speaking
with several people at UMADD and expressing interest and a need for the
program.
The grant funding allotted to Tarleton from the CarMax Foundation totaled
approximately $4,000, but was matched 25 percent by STAR Council, a group
that works to provide substance abuse education and treatment to individuals,
families, and communities.
“Last summer I got a phone call saying CarMax and MADD wanted Tarleton
to receive the grant. Because I had expressed interest on behalf of Tarleton,
they decided to choose us,” Swindle said.
“Members of the UMADD program have done several things, including
coordinating two roll call briefings to express appreciation to Tarleton
and Stephenville Police Departments. And one of the most meaningful things
we’ve been able to do is purchase breathalyzers for each of those
police departments,” she said.
Research shows that drinking by college students (ages 18 to 24) contributes
to an estimated 1,700 student deaths, 500,000 injuries, 600,000 assaults
and 70,000 sexual assaults each year.
In addition, it is estimated that as a result of college drinking, 400,000
students engage in unprotected sex, and 150,000 develop an alcohol-related
health problem each year. About 25 percent of college students report academic
consequences of drinking alcohol.
“All too often, underage alcohol use and binge drinking are accepted
as a rite of passage, especially in college,” said Glynn Birch, MADD
national president. “Through UMADD chapters, students can help change
that culture by directly influencing their peers, campuses, and communities
through education and enforcement. We share CarMax’s commitment to protecting
the lives of college students, and together we will continue to do this by
expanding the UMADD program.”
Through the CarMax Foundation funding, the UMADD program was launched on
five campuses in 2005: Tarleton, Arizona State University in
Tempe, Ariz.; Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich.; the University
of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn.; and Slippery Rock University in Slippery
Rock, Pa.
In 2004, CarMax funded four UMADD chapters: at the University of Central
Florida in Orlando, Fla.; Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky.; Towson
University in Baltimore, Md.; and East Tennessee State University in Johnson
City, Tenn.
This most recent grant provided each UMADD chapter with funds to recruit
and train student leaders, conduct prevention projects on campus, and work
with the surrounding community to ensure underage students do not have
access to alcohol.
MADD’s mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this
violent crime and prevent underage drinking. Since its founding in 1980,
MADD has helped save more than 300,000 lives. A 501(c)3 non-profit grassroots
organization, MADD is working to save lives and prevent injuries in hundreds
of communities and has approximately 2 million members and supporters nationwide.
The CarMax Foundation’s National Funding Program assists nonprofit
organizations that address or improve automobile safety for families and
children. CarMax, Inc. supports the foundation. Headquartered in Richmond,
Va., CarMax currently operates 67 used car superstores in 31 markets. 