MADD
Letter to Families
Walk like MADD 2021
This year the Centenary Ladies hosted one of the first “Walk like MADD” events in northern Louisiana. Thank you so much to everyone who participated and for the incredible donations! We had over 75 participants and raised $931 dollars for MADD Louisiana!
What is MADD?
The mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking.
How did MADD start?
The kitchen table.
It’s a place of gathering for families.
It’s more than a place to share food. It’s a place where children tell their parents about what happened at school that day. It’s a place where love and laughter is exchanged during holiday gatherings and family celebrations.
And, after a tragedy, the table also serves as an all too painful reminder of those no longer seated around it. That’s why in 1980, it was a small, unassuming kitchen table where one mom started a movement that would significantly change the course of history in the United States.
That year, more people died on our roadways thanks to drunk drivers than the number of people who died in war. Today, those fatalities have been cut in half, despite a number of roadblocks and setbacks along the way. View our interactive timeline to see where we have come from.
The table has grown, but we remain just as grassroots as we were in the beginning. Powered by hundreds of thousands of passionate advocates and supporters, MADD remains focused on one number – zero.
Zero deaths. Zero injuries. Zero families impacted by impaired driving.
Learn more about MADD at madd.org/about-us/our-story
Why is Centenary Gymnastics Getting Involved?
Centenary Gymnastics has been looking for a volunteer platform that our team could become more permanently involved with and MADD truly fits our story. We want to share this part of our team with a larger population and use our teammates legacy to create a greater impact on the city of Shreveport and raise awareness about drunk driving. Our inspiration is based on the loss of our beloved teammate Sylvia Keiter.
On May 19, 2018 an amazing young woman, daughter, friend, and teammate was killed by a drunk driver. Sylvia Keiter was such a light in this world. She was unstoppable, relentless, committed, exuberant, self-less, had a team first attitude and a run through a brick wall mentality. The Centenary Ladies strive to live like Big Syl and continue the work ethic she exemplified everyday. On May 19, 2018, our sweet Syl with such a big heart was driving on I-20 near Harrison County, TX when she stopped to help someone on the side of the road. When assisting, she was hit by a drunk driver and pronounced dead at the scene. Such an amazing woman who had so many hopes and dreams, was taken out of this world due to someone else's poor actions. Our team is taking her story and wanting to do something about it and make others aware of these tragic events caused by drunk drivers.
