For Lisa Voegel, it became a reality a little more than five years ago.

On May 29, 1995, Lisa’s son, Jackson, a student at Appalachian State University was killed after the car, in which he was a passenger, ran off the interstate and struck a group of trees. The driver was drunk.

According to various reports, Jackson, 21, was partially ejected from the vehicle, which flipped several times after running off the interstate in Charlotte, N.C.

“It truly was devastating,” Voegel said. “It’s something, you can’t imagine the grief and bewilderment that goes along with the death of a child to a drunk driver.”

After grieving for a couple of years, she decided that she had to get involved with the national organization, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

Voegel said she became more involved in the Sandhills Chapter of MADD a few years ago. During that time, the former leader had a Family illness, which required more of her time.

Voegel said she notice that the organization had become inactive and she felt she needed to do something to continue instilling awareness in the local community.

“I was teaching school and once I finished that, I was like, ‘You know, we really need to start this organization back up,’ Voegel,explained. “It’s a good cause and we are in a growing area.”

She said since she was already involved in the MADD chapter in Charlotte because it was near where her son was killed, she decided to immerse herself in the local chapter.

“We were immediately thrown into the support system,” she explained. “Because Jackson was killed in Charlotte, and it was considered a crime, we had to go through the criminal justice system in Charlotte.”

Voegel said she had a wonderful victim’s advocate who was very supportive during the Family’s grieving period.

“(My victim’s advocate) was very, very helpful and I saw how helpful she was to us, that I decided that I wanted to do something similar,” she explained. “That’s how I got involved with MADD. I went to Dallas and trained to be a volunteer victim’s advocate.”

Voegel said her current organization, the Sandhills regional MADD chapter, encompasses an area, which includes Cumberland, Sampson County and Robeson County.

“But if someone from Harnett County or Moore County felt like they wanted to come to the meetings, we certainly would invite them to participate,” Voegel said. “We are not exclusive, we’ll accept anyone if they do not have a similar setup in their counties.”

She said she hopes the Sandhills chapter’s reorganization will inspire awareness and give the organization a more visible presence in the community.

“We had our first meeting in April,” she said. “We had a law enforcement awards dinner and that’s one of our big events.”

Voegel named the North Carolina Highway Patrol, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department and Fayetteville Police Department as some of the agencies that attended the event.

“It is an evening to recognize the officers who had the highest annual driving while intoxicated arrest record,” Voegel said. “That was something I felt we had to do. Even if we are reorganizing now, we need to get back to having that event on a yearly basis. It’s not always the same officers winning the awards and they seem to enjoy it. It really became fun watching the competition.”

Voegel explained that within the Fayetteville Police Department, it really was a competition to see who could win that award.

“I’ve gone on ride-alongs with the Fayetteville Police Department and there are many people out there in this city and county who should not be behind the wheel,” she explained. “I am looking to hone in, particularly, on the repeat offenders and make sure that they are prosecuted to the fullest.”

She said that effort has become one of her big initiatives, not only as a victim’s advocate, but also as a concerned citizen. She pointed out that victim’s advocacy comes first.

“It’s always most important to be there for the victims,” she said.

She said another area she’s focusing on is underage drinking, which is also becoming a problem in the local community.

“My husband and I go out to Fort Bragg quite often,” Voegel explained. “We talk to the troops and inform them that they have choices. There is no reason for anyone to get behind the wheel of a car drunk. We’ve got these wonderful services that will pick you and your car up and take you home for a small fee.”

Voegel added that it’s important to have a plan in place, such as a responsible designated driver.
“It’s important for them to be careful as well,” she said, pointing out that designated drivers are also at risk because they’re often tired as they drive home at the end of the night.

She recalled the incident in which a son of one of her friends served as designated driver for friends. After ensuring that everyone had arrived at his or her destination safely, he was killed by a drunk driver as he drove home.

“That is the ultimate slap in the face,” she said. “You’re doing all the right things and you end up being the victim.”

Voegel said she hopes that her efforts and her chapter’s reorganization will bring awareness and vigilance to the citizens within the local area.

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