A 2yo has been killed. What do you know about MADD?

[Breathe]

A friend's 2 yo was killed by a repeat offender drunk driver last week. Her 9 yo brother was critically injured with a fractured skull, but is out of the hospital now. The family and their community is devastated.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,6796385.story

Community members are gathering for a benefit this Friday night. I'm wondering about having materials at the gathering about MADD: ribbons, bumper stickers, petitions to sign, donation forms, etc.

Can anyone speak to the effectiveness of MADD? We've all been hearing about them for years, but I don't know much about the organization and what it does.

For instance, are they well organized? Anyone able to speak to whether or not donations that go to the org get put to good use? Is there a huge bureaucracy that soaks up most of the money? Are they effective in their lobbying and advocacy?

Of course their own web site says they are effective, and I very much want to believe that . . . just wondering if there's an inside scoop maybe I've missed. Sad to have to ask such a question, esp at a time like this, but I want to be careful with people's hearts and donations and not just jump into something cause it sounds helpful . . . We're all so vulnerable right now so I want to proceed with caution.

Anyone?
Thanks so much.

[j10k]

What a sad story. Unfortunately, I've heard some pretty bad things about MADD... http://www.thestar.com/News/article/134309 .

[Teensy]

One evaluation of MADD:

http://www.charitynavigator.org/inde...ary&orgid=4129

So sorry to hear of the child's death.

[Breathe]

Well there you go. Maybe my subconscious had picked up on some of the criticisms after all. Thanks Mamas. You saved me time. (And in my mental distraction, I never would have found those sites myself.)

[GranoLLLy-girl]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I found the article shocking in regards to the fact that the DUI driver was allowed out of jail on bond after this. Just shocking. I don't want to start a debate or anything--I was just sickened to learn that.
What a darling toddler.

[Breathe]

Yes, I believe it's the saddest thing I've ever heard.

Would you believe that the perp STILL has not been re-charged now that Isabella has died? He's still walking the streets of Orlando, probably driving. The family is staying there until his charge has been upgraded, but I bet even then he'll post bond and be free shortly thereafter. It's horrific and senseless.

Thx for the love.

[Novella]

I really appreciate the links about MADD. Had never heard of their contentious fundraising and reporting practices. They recently crossed the line in my mind from "probably good" to "somewhat evil/dismissed" now that they are championing for Canadian legislation to be changed to allow police to collect random breathalyzers from drivers with no probably cause. Nice to see that the basic legal principle of the burden of proof being on the party charging the fault! If such a violation of civil liberties is the best MADD can come up with while most of their fundraising keeps their contracted fundraising companies in business, then they need to be soundly discounted and ignored.