In an emotion-laden ceremony, MADD Long Island broke ground for its Garden of Awareness Victim Memorial on Thursday, May 20, on the campus of Farmingdale State University of New York.

The memorial is dedicated to all innocent victims killed or injured due to an alcohol related traffic crash. The garden will occupy about 6,000 square feet, surrounding a six-foot-high, 75-foot long brick Wall of Remembrance. The memorial will be the largest of its kind in the United States. To date, 221 names are subscribed for inscription on commemorative bricks. The large majority of names have been requested by Long Island victim families. However, commemorative bricks have also been subscribed by victim families in 10 states other than New York, plus Japan.

Denna Cohen, president of MADD Long Island and Dr. Jonathan Gibralter, president of Farmingdale State, presided at the ceremony. Cohen explained how the memorial would convey a strong message of hope. She described an area of the Wall of Remembrance that would be broken, as if by a drunk-driven car, and the Sculpture of Hope, two larger-than-life bronze figures of a young man and young woman, that would stand at the break. "They are rebuilding the wall, but their bricks do not bear any new names," she said. "That is our hope, that someday we can put an end to the crime of drunk driving and never have to add more names to the wall." The sculpture was created by the artist, Michael Alfano, and is now on display in Nold Hall on the Farmingdale State campus.

Cohen said that since drunk driving continues with such a high rate of deaths and injuries, the Garden of Awareness is designed as an ongoing memorial for names that would have to be added, and that, over time, the Wall of Remembrance could list nearly 2,000 names. Last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were more than 17,400 alcohol related traffic fatalities and over 500,000 injuries in the U.S., including 80 fatalities on Long Island alone.

Following remarks by Dr. Gibralter and Cohen, Sister Beth McGarvey, OP, of Farmingdale State’s campus ministry, delivered the invocation that preceded the reading of the 221 victim names. Nine distinguished guests joined Dr. Gibralter and Cohen in the reading. They included Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Ekberg, MADD victim advocates whose son, Alfred, Jr., was killed by a drunk driver. Cohen’s daughter, Jodi, was also killed by a drunk driver.

Anyone who would like more information about the Garden of Awareness Victim Memorial is encouraged to call MADD Long Island at 631-547-6233 or email maddlongisland@aol.com.