By Alex Soloducha

MADD Prince Albert drives their point home with chapter kick off

Nov 7, 2015 | 7:23 AM

On Friday, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Prince Albert reached new heights with their kick off as an official chapter.

Families affected by drinking and driving gathered in the hall of the South Hill Mall to tell their stories, and drive home the impact such a choice can have.

Claude Rivet took the opportunity to discuss how his life has changed since his daughter Chrystal was killed by a drunk driver in January 2013.

Chrystal was pregnant at the time, so Rivet said he was ready to work in his shop, planning to build toys and a crib.

Rivet said his wife calls him “Mr. Fix It,” but he hasn’t been able to work in his shop much since the accident.

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“I can fix everything, but I couldn’t fix this,” he said, tears in his eyes.

Whitney Darchuk-Parenteau, whose father Ben Darchuk was killed in 2012, also spoke to the crowd. Years after the accident that took his life, she said she still thinks about him every day.

“He was not only a father to me, he was my inspiration in life,” she said. “There is an emptiness in knowing I did not get to say goodbye.”

Darchuk-Parenteau was married last year and didn’t have her father to walk her down the aisle.

“That was one of the hardest moments of my life,” she said. “Still, to this day, I cannot believe my dad wasn’t there to witness my marriage.

“This was one of the happiest days of my life, yet all through that day, I couldn’t clear the thought that my father was not there, due to someone else choosing to drink and drive.”

Mayor Greg Dionne spoke about how proud he was of the group, who worked for the past year to bring the charity off the ground.

MADD Prince Albert has hosted barbeques, attended check stops, handed out red ribbons at events and conferences, among other things. They won the Power 99 Airtime Award, with $75,000 in advertisements on-the-house.

In 2014, they won the BOB Award (paNOW Best of the Best Award) for “best local charity”.

With more accomplishments to come, the now official chapter has been recognized by MADD Canada.

The chapter has a full board of directors who develop and plan initiatives and activities, along with the chapter president, Trina Cockle.

asoloducha@panow.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow