The ETSU Bucs Against Drunk Driving UMADD group will host their second annual appreciation dinner on March 14. The dinner will be held from 6-7 p.m. at Picasso’s restaurant.
The ETSU BADD / UMADD group was selected by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as one of ten campuses to receive a $4,000 grant to develop UMADD – a program which conducts environmental prevention programs to reduce underage drinking and impaired driving by limiting youth access to alcohol and encouraging enforcement of related laws. The grant funding was provided by the CarMax Foundation.
The ETSU UMADD chapter has been working on creating awareness of alcohol-related problems by working with students, campus administration and local law enforcement. The group recently spoke to officers at several local police departments during shift changes, known as roll call briefings, to encourage them to continue their hard work. The BADD/UMADD students also told the officers that their dedication and efforts were not going unnoticed.
“We are thankful for the support of the CarMax Foundation and MADD, but we also want to show our appreciation for those campus and community members who work with us to make a safe community for everybody and this dinner will allow us to do that,” said Clinton Arnette, BADD/ UMADD president.
The goals of a UMADD chapter are to engage students in prevention strategies against underage drinking and impaired driving, limit youth access to alcohol, increase enforcement of underage drinking and impaired driving laws on campus and in the surrounding communities, and to work with campus leaders to establish clear and effective policies designed to minimize alcohol problems.
UMADD focuses on addressing community attitudes and working to change the norms that imply that underage drinking and high-risk drinking is acceptable.
“MADD believes in giving college students an intelligent, non-judgmental “no-use” message and engaging them in the support of the enforcement community to uphold alcohol laws and policies,” said James Bryant, national coordinator of UMADD. “This combination of education and engagement can help to minimize the devastating effects of underage drinking and high risk drinking on college campuses.”
The approach incorporated into UMADD provides college students with a vehicle in which they are able to take the lead in changing the social, legal and economic environment in their communities and on their campus, particularly as it relates to attitudes and behaviors about underage drinking and high risk drinking,
The project goal is to reduce youth access to alcohol, and this is best accomplished by assessing where and how youth get the alcohol they drink and then helping to support law enforcement officials in their efforts to uphold alcohol-related laws.
The mission of MADD is to stop drunk driving, support victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking.
For more information on MADD or to view the National Academy of Sciences report on underage drinking, visit www.madd.org.
The CarMax Foundation’s National Funding Program assists nonprofit organizations that address or improve automobile safety for families and children. CarMax, Inc., www.carmax.com, supports the foundation. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., CarMax currently operates 67 used car superstores in 31 markets.

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