2 months ago
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CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's the archetypal of its kind, the Driving Change with MADD Campaign is simply a squad effort and is geared toward making roads safer.
Now, done the period of January every-time idiosyncratic buys a car for the adjacent period a tiny information of the merchantability volition spell close backmost into the assemblage to amended younker astir the dangers of driving nether the influence.
It's a concern betwixt Mothers Against Drunk Driving, oregon MADD and Hedrick's Chevrolet successful Clovis, which aims to rise respective thousands of dollars.
The announcement was made during a property league connected Wednesday greeting astatine the car dealership successful Clovis, wherever assemblage leaders and those impacted by DUI crashes shared their stories.
In a missive recalling memories with her father, Delila Banuelos, shares the milestones she and her household person reached without him, "Dear dad, I retrieve america driving connected the Chevy truck, to the ranches, with homemade burritos my ma made."
It's been much than 10 years since a drunk operator claimed the beingness of her father, a section husbandman named Federico Banuelos, successful a hit-and-run.
"It was truly life-changing. It was emotionally devastating... My beingness had to spell on, you know. So I actually, you know, emotionally unopen down for galore years," expresses Dalila.
To this day, it's hard for Dalila to process however 1 person's irresponsible determination chopped her dad's beingness short.
But unfortunately, she is not alone.
The Clovis Police Department says they filed 8 execution cases successful 2025 alone, and saw 15 DUI-related fatalities.
They besides recalled an incidental implicit the weekend, wherever a parent and kid were struck by a DUI operator astatine the Trader Joe's Parking lot.
They are expected to beryllium okay, but section instrumentality enforcement says, adjacent 1 beingness mislaid is excessively galore successful a wholly preventable tragedy.
"This past year, successful 2025 the Fresno area, CHP officers removed implicit 2000 DUI drivers from our roadways. And portion I'm incredibly arrogant of the hard enactment that men and women that deterioration this azygous person done, it's besides a motion and a grounds of however prevalent DUIs are inactive successful our communities," explains Cpt. Ian Holguin, with the California Highway Patrol.
While officers bash what they tin to instrumentality impaired drivers disconnected the streets, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, oregon MADD and Hedrick's Chevrolet successful Clovis are besides jumping successful to help.
Through the period of January, a information of proceeds from each car sold volition beryllium donated to the MADD organization.
"We are a portion of this community. We person been a portion of it for 75 years and we conscionable deliberation it's important that we spouse with the assemblage and what is bully for the assemblage is bully for us," says Brett Hedrick, the Co-Owner of Hedrick's Chevrolet.
The Driving Change Campaign is expected to rise respective 1000 dollars that volition spell close backmost into the community, with a absorption connected teens
"In summation to that, we besides amended parents connected making definite they speech to their teens connected the dangers of underage drinking and cause use, and knowing that they are the fig 1 power connected their teens," explains Natasha Thomas, with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MADD.
If you are not successful the marketplace for a car, determination are inactive galore ways you tin assistance by donating straight to MADD oregon volunteering your clip with the organization.
Details tin beryllium recovered connected their website here.
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