Dear Candace,

This year as we begin celebrating the holidays please remember that many others won't be. They will be grieving over the senseless deaths of their loved ones, all because someone made dangerous driving choices. They didn't plan ahead before partying so they drove drunk. They decided to take drugs while out with friends and then decided to drive. They couldn't wait until they got to their destination to make that call, text or look at social media. They just had to do it while driving because it was sooooo important that waiting until it was safe would have ruined their lives. Instead they chose to ruin someone else's.

Impaired Driving - This darling little girl is Noel Ann McCall. Killed by a drunk driver on May 25th, 2019 at just five years old. Noel was the light in this world that brought joy to every person she encountered. Noel had autism and was nonverbal but she proved that words could be overrated and spoke through her actions and her deep, beautiful, brown eyes. She is forever missed and her family will forever mourn the perfect baby that was stolen from them. She is a big sister to 3 year old Hallie and 1 year old Cooper. Her sister misses her best friend every day and has struggled so much with understanding death at such a young age. When you make the choice to drive impaired you make the choice to destroy lives.

Impaired Driving - Courtney Birch was a beautiful, adorable, loving little boy, and the spitting image of his father Glynn. He was the light in his family’s eyes, and the child who couldn’t wait for the day to begin.

That beautiful light was dimmed on May 3rd, 1988, when he was killed by a multiple repeat offender drunk driver. Courtney just wanted an ice cream from the ice cream truck when the drunk driver appeared out of nowhere going more than 70 miles an hour. The driver had a blood alcohol content of .26, more than two and half times the legal limit. He was driving so fast that he killed Courtney instantly, dragging his poor little body more than 150 feet before the car stopped. Courtney wasn’t even 2-years-old. The man who killed Courtney was driving with a revoked driver’s license.

Impaired Driving – Brad and Samantha Downs were newlyweds when they and their good friend, Chris decided to go to the movies. They didn't make it. On the way they were struck down and killed by a driver who had both alcohol and other drugs in her system. Brad and Samantha both died from blunt force trauma to the chest and head. Brad’s body was crushed and the engine of the car impelled Samantha to the seat. They both had to be removed with the Jaws of Life but in this case they were the jaws of death. Chris’ neck was broken and his brain exploded on impact. These young people died a violent death not by a gun but by a car. The woman responsible for the crash also died and her passenger was ejected from the vehicle and survived. She lost a leg, a lung and her spleen but she lived, all victims because one person chose to drive impaired. Four families face a lifetime of grief and despair just because someone made a deadly and dangerous driving choice.

Right now, We Save Lives needs your help. You have the power to help us win this war and prevent crashes. We are asking you to donate as much as you can so that we can continue our fight against drunk, drugged and distracted driving.   

We need to continue educating people about how to drive safe and how to keep someone else from driving dangerously. We really need your support. You have the ability to change the culture of acceptance surrounding death and injury on our roadways.

You can give through our website or send a check to:

We Save Lives

5900 Barclay Dr.

Suite 150842

Alexandria VA 22310

Thank you, as always for caring about this deadly epidemic that will only get worse without your help.

Your safety is always our priority,