Dear Friend,

Brad and Krista Howe were only eight blocks from their home when their car was slammed into by an impaired driver.

In that moment, Brad and Krista's lives came to an abrupt and tragic end. Their five children suddenly became orphans. Their entire family was permanently damaged.

Karla Green, Krista's sister was living in another province at the time, pursing her Master's degree. She'll never forget the call that changed her life forever.

"The phone rang at 5:30 am. When I heard my mom's voice, I knew something was very wrong," she recalls. "I couldn't believe Brad and Krista were gone. It was a surreal experience. Four hours later, I was on a plane and I've never looked back."

Karla selflessly gave up her own life to look after Krista's grief-stricken children. "It's like I died that day and started over," she says. "But moving here was the best thing for the kids"

My heart breaks when I think of the loss this family has suffered, the damage that has been done to their lives because of impaired driving. You can show you care about the victims of this senseless crime by donating to MADD Canada today.

Your support will mean so much to families like Karla's, and with you by our side we can go further to prevent impaired driving and the carnage it causes to so many lives.

Karla and Sandra (Karla and Krista's Mom) continue to struggle with the damage done to their family – especially to the children. "There's not a moment when they're not thinking about their Mom and Dad. Every day, all day," says Karla. There's a new pensiveness in their eyes now, a shadow of something else. It's going to be there for the rest of their lives."

Your gift today will help us do everything in our power to spare other families this immense pain and heartache. It will help us educate our young people with our new, powerful School Assembly Program, Damages; fight for stronger impaired driving legislation; and fund critical awareness programs like Campaign 911.

And, of course, it will help us comfort and support the victims – the 20,000 people who turn to us every year, their hearts in tatters, their lives shattered forever.

"The loss will never go away," says Sandra. "Impaired driving has damaged the whole dynamic of our family. It has touched neighbours, friends, co-workers, everyone who knew Krista and Brad. It's hard to put the magnitude of the damage into words."

Your support is vital! The postal disruption has had a major impact on the revenue we receive through the mail, so please give as generously as you can. As Sandra says, "If you can contribute to alleviate the horror of impaired driving, it's a noble thing. If you can save one family from being where we are today, it's worth it."

Denise Dubyk
National President
MADD Canada