3D Advisor

Saving Lives, One Speech at a Time

Did you know that We Save Lives has an outstanding Speaker’s Bureau? We are fortunate to have the most amazing group of advocates who speak all over the country about drunk, drugged and distracted driving .

We would like to highlight a few of our speakers and their amazing accomplishments. They do this as volunteers because they are so committed to the 3 D’s and saving lives. They do this so you and yours will have a safer drive, walk or bike ride .

Darryl Rodgers was our first speaker and his mission is to inspire young people to make safer life choices. He speaks to schools, community groups, victim impact panels, organizations and other venues that need someone who understands the dangers of drugged driving and how to keep our young people safe. His son, Chase was killed in a drug related crash and also struggled with addiction. He has written a book, A Life Half Lived – A True Story of Love, Addiction, Tragedy and Hope . He always tries to incorporate the Courage to Intervene Promise i n his presentations.

The Sam Shelton Conference

Darryl talking to a student at Leesville Road High School

The students listen as Darryl speaks at Leesville Road High School

Pam O'Donnell is a wife and mother whose husband and 5-year old daughter were killed by an impaired driver. Yet, despite this tragedy she has made it her mission to prevent this crime from happening to others. She has spoken at numerous high schools, corporate companies and small organizations in New Jersey about the ramifications of when someone makes a choice to drive distracted or impaired.

Pam recently participated in a meeting with the local bar owners in Bayonne, NJ. She brought the Courage to Intervene Promise and would you believe, not only did the bar owners sign the pledge but some of them added the name of their establishment! She also took part in a high school art exhibit at her local library and the WSL Promise was one of the art exhibits hanging on the wall. Can you imagine how proud we are to see our Promise hanging on a library wall for everyone to sign?

CTI Promise on library wall

Bar owners signing CTI Promise

Pam being interviewed

Jim and Connie Russell are two of our most recent speakers. Jim is a 25- year law enforcement veteran, retired from the Florida State University Police Department at the rank of Deputy Chief in February, 2018. During his tenure he was key in the development of the Leon County Multi-Agency DUI Strike Force, consisting of five law enforcement agencies that coordinated impaired driving operations throughout Leon County, Florida. As chair of the DUI Strike Force for several years, Jim spearheaded the implementation of DUI checkpoints at Florida State University, making FSU the first university in the nation to conduct sobriety checkpoints on campus on a regular basis. He has done so much more including being married to Connie and volunteering for us!

Connie Russell is the mother of Matthew Beard, a Florida State University Marine Biology student who was struck by a DUI driver on December 21, 2006. Matthew sustained life-threatening injuries and was in a coma for eight days before succumbing to his injuries, dying on December 29th, 2006 at the age of 21. Since that time, Connie has become a tireless advocate for impaired driving prevention and traffic safety, and has spoken to audiences across the state of Florida. They recently participated in a Road and Safety Panel at the 2019 Boys and Girls Club National Keystone Conference in Orlando.

Connie and Jim exemplify all our speakers with their dedication and motivation to save lives.

Connie and Jim with actor/comedian JB Smoove at the Boys and Girls Club

Jim with Sgt. Omar Berrio with the Kissimmee Police Dept at the Boys and Girls Club

We have so many more speakers that we will be highlighting in upcoming newsletters. If you need someone to do a presentation at your school, your community group, or for any other events, please contact us at [email protected].

Are you a teacher who speaks to students regarding staying safe while driving? Here are two We Save Lives programs you may want to include in your presentations.

Ask them to add #BUTNOTWHILEDRIVING to their mobile device signatures.
Encourage them to sign the Courage to Intervene promise.

Message from the President

I have a launched a new website . Please take a look and let me know what you think. It is probably long past due but I am always so busy advocating for better driving choices that I haven't had time to focus on me. I have already booked several keynote speaking engagements and welcome the opportunity to do more. I also have an upcoming forum in Colorado and these are such a welcome change from giving a speech. I love the give and take of audience participation and enjoy answering questions and helping others make a difference. I used to do this long ago but took myself off the lecture circuit so I could concentrate on other things. Please think of me if you need a keynote speaker who can motivate and inspire your audience. Thank you for looking at my site.

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