One woman's quest to bring back MADD

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Stephanie Faiella-Gerber's journey to again establish MADD of Staten Island was born of tragedy: Her husband's colleague at Verizon was killed by a drunken driver while walking her dog in Queens.

In September, Verizon held a fund-raiser in the woman's honor at RollerJam USA, Richmond Valley. The company looked to find an Island chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving to offer support, but there was none.

The last borough chapter disbanded in 2002.

"I just found myself really upset that Staten Island didn't have a chapter," said Mrs. Faiella-Gerber. "There are so many accidents among kids on this Island, so much reckless driving."

That thought nagged at her for about two months until she decided to call the state office of MADD.

"I told them I wanted to be the person, I wanted to start a chapter," said Mrs. Faiella, 32, an Eltingville resident, part-time teacher, the mother of 2-year-old Julianna Gerber and the president of MADD of Staten Island.

She now has 30 members, recently formed a six-member board of directors and will hold her first fund-raiser on July 1 at RollerJam USA at 6 p.m. The cost is $20 for adults and $10 for kids.

Members set up tables at public events and talk to people about MADD's mission: To stop drunken driving, support the victims and prevent underage drinking.

She plans to target MADD's Core Strategy of Underage Drinking Prevention, which seeks to raise awareness and educate the community about the dangers of drunken driving.

"I really want to reach out to the Island's youth," Mrs. Faiella said. "This is something I believe in, something I feel strongly about."

Every time she looks at Julianna, she believes in it even more.

"I do it for her," Mrs. Faiella-Gerber said. "People look at me and say, 'She's only 2, you don't have to worry yet,' but I am thinking of her future. If I can educate her to make good decisions, she'll know what to do when she becomes a teen-ager."

And Mrs. Faiella-Gerber is quick to point out that membership is open to anyone.

"This isn't just for mothers," she said. "Drinking and driving affects everyone."

To join MADD of Staten Island or learn more about the fund-raiser, contact Mrs. Faiella-Gerber at maddofsi@yahoo.com.

Stephanie Slepian is a news reporter for the Advance. She may be reached at slepian@siadvance.com.