AADD provides way home

  • Published
  • By DEBORAH SILLIMAN WOLFE
  • Thunderbolt staff writer
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Every Friday and Saturday evening, a small group of Luke Air Force Base Airmen gather in an old chief's suite in Dorm 133. They watch movies, chat and eat food donated by local restaurants. But this is not your typical group of Airmen; they are members of Airmen Against Drunk Driving and they are waiting for the phone to ring. And when it does, they spring into action.

"If someone has been drinking and needs a ride, they can call us," said Staff Sgt. Jennifer Aucoin, 56th Dental Squadron dental assistant and president of the Luke AADD program. "We ask for the first name, phone number and location, and then go pick them up. We keep it as anonymous as possible."

AADD volunteers double up for all calls so that when they arrive on the scene, one of the volunteers can drive the caller home in the caller's car, and the other volunteer can follow to take the other AADD volunteer back to the dorm.

"Normally, we pick up two or more people on each call," Sergeant Aucoin said. "Sometimes there are singles, but a lot of the time it is a husband and wife, or a couple of buddies who went out to the bar. We try to send males for male pickups, female for female pickups or a combo."

Last year, AADD helped 983 people get home safely, and has already helped more than 140 people in 2009. According to Sergeant Aucoin, the majority of pickups are from Westgate, the Arrowhead area, Bell Road in Surprise, Avondale and Goodyear.

"If we get a call from Tempe and our volunteers don't want to drive that far, we call a cab and pick up the tab," Sergeant Aucoin said. "The cab driver will ask the rider for specific information so when they bill AADD, we can verify if the passenger is eligible for the program."

If someone calls AADD any time other than Friday or Saturday night, their call automatically gets forwarded to the taxi company.

AADD does fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for cab fairs, and they also get donations from base organizations such as the Luke Airmen's Fund and the Fighter County Partnership.

AADD has eight council members who each volunteer at least once a month, and the group is currently looking for more volunteers. Volunteers can help as much or as little as they have time for. Volunteers who go above and beyond have the chance to be awarded an AADD coin, a $25 gift certificate and a one-day pass from the 56th Fighter Wing.

"I volunteer because I like helping someone make the right decision rather than the wrong decision," said Sergeant Aucoin, who has been involved with the program since it's inception three years ago and has been president for the last two years. "But I think there are too many people who abuse the program and make it their only resort instead of their last resort."

Chief Master Sgt. Randy Raper helps oversee the program and says that AADD is intended to be a last option to give people a ride home when they have had too much to drink. Sergeant Aucoin also agrees that people need to make a plan before they go out, and if that plan falls through, they should call AADD. AADD should not be the primary plan for those who go out and have too much to drink.

Though Sergeant Aucoin is happy to volunteer her time, she admits that the program is a lot of work.

"It does take a lot of my time, and it is one weekend a month that I am not with my family because I am out all night, and then sleep in the next morning," she said. "I have two little ones, a 5-year-old and a 7-month-old. My husband works at wing safety, so my 5-year-old is all about being safe and she knows drinking and driving is not a safe thing to do. She understands what I am doing when I volunteer."

For more information about volunteering, contact Sergeant Aucoin, whose e-mail can be found on the global address list, or e-mail AADD@luke.af.mil.