This Mom will not Shut Up

Some may question my motives for being an Activist and working towards Education and Prevention. I can't just keep silent, grieve my child's death and see other families go through the same thing I went through. I tried getting involved in politics, by introducing a Harsher DWI Penalty Bill in our Legislature. I soon found out that our State just cannot afford to change our current DWI Bill, build new jail facilities and reformat the whole justice system. It was very disappointing to have this bill tabled for three consecutive years. I couldn't do it alone, I had to learn to fully understand that fighting back would have to start at being capable of providing education to those already arrested for a first DWI offence. That in itself plays a major part into reducing DWI fatalities. I presently offer my services to a DWI Victim Impact Panel, where I provide videos, photo displays and lots of desire to communicate with the offenders by showing how devastating their actions could be on the Victim's families and most important, their own families. I also speak to teenagers about Binge Drinking and Drug Addiction at schools and Juvenile Detention Centers. Recently I have been invited to participate in a training program along with members of MADD Organization so we can now penetrate Jail Facilities and offer Education and Prevention as part of Rehabilitation. By doing this I have influenced many lives and have earned a lot of recognition by being committed into preventing Death and Injury by DWI. I guess that by doing this it has helped me with some of my healing process. I know that every time I give my speeches, another life can be saved and that this will be my mission for as long as I live honoring Karen's memory. Below there are links to articles of when I was trying to push a Harsher DWI Penalty Bill. It did not pass, but I find comfort in knowing that all the noise I made, kept Karen alive in the media and the community while our court case was still on going.

CLICK HERE
Read the outcome of our Vigil in the State Capitol,
and statements from Senator Joe Carraro baptizing our proposed bill
as Karen's Bill.

 

These are the crowd of teens addressing Senator Skipp Vernon on the DUI Issue. The teens were very demanding and very sharp on the verbal attack they made on our present laws. One sharp comment was as an official told them to vote, write letters etc. The young man replied:" You are supposed to work for us not the other way around." Another comment was: "If voting really made a difference, the Feds would make it illegal." For three years now, in the city of Rio Rancho, Home Coming and Prom night did not have any Teen DWI arrests or Teen DWI related crashes.