FAMILY ASSISTANCE FUND
Helping Families Face What Comes Next
When an impaired driver changes a family’s life, grief is often followed by unexpected expenses, difficult decisions, disrupted routines, and uncertainty about where to turn. Sons Against Drunk Driving is working to build a responsible assistance program that can eventually help eligible families navigate those overwhelming first steps with greater clarity, dignity, and support.
IN DEVELOPMENT • APPLICATIONS ARE NOT YET OPEN
The Family Assistance Fund has not launched and S.A.D.D. is not currently accepting applications or distributing financial assistance. This page presents the program we are working to build with the help of donors, partners, and community supporters.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Built From the Help Our Family Needed
After my mother, Brandi, was killed by an impaired driver, our family was left trying to understand what came next. Alongside the grief came responsibilities, expenses, difficult decisions, and a world that suddenly felt unfamiliar.
We experienced firsthand how quickly a family can be expected to make important financial and practical decisions while still struggling to process an unimaginable loss.
The Family Assistance Fund is being developed from that experience. Its purpose is not to promise that every hardship can be removed. Its purpose is to build a thoughtful, accountable pathway through which eligible families may one day receive practical guidance and carefully administered financial support during an incredibly difficult time.
“No family should have to go through the aftermath of an impaired-driving tragedy entirely on their own.”
THE FUTURE VISION
Support Designed Around Real-World Needs
Families can face many different needs after an impaired-driving tragedy. The final categories of eligible assistance will be established through written policies, professional guidance, available funding, and responsible board oversight.
Immediate Family Expenses
Future assistance may help eligible families address urgent, verified expenses arising after an impaired-driving tragedy.
Funeral and Memorial Expenses
The future program may help eligible families manage certain verified funeral, burial, cremation, or memorial-related costs.
Travel and Temporary Needs
Potential support may include eligible transportation, temporary lodging, childcare, or other necessary arrangements when a family’s normal life is suddenly disrupted.
Counseling and Practical Resources
S.A.D.D. intends to develop trustworthy information and connections that can help families locate qualified grief support, victim advocacy, and other appropriate services.
These examples describe potential areas of assistance only. Final eligibility rules, covered expenses, assistance limits, and review procedures have not yet been approved and may change during program development.
A RESPONSIBLE PROCESS
A Thoughtful Path to Support
Before applications can open, S.A.D.D. must establish a fair, confidential, and accountable process. The proposed structure below represents how the program is currently expected to operate.
1
Submit a Confidential Application
A family member or authorized representative would complete a secure application describing the impaired-driving incident, the assistance requested, and the family’s immediate financial circumstances.
2
Verify Eligibility
S.A.D.D. would review appropriate documentation confirming the incident, the applicant’s relationship to the affected family, and the expenses for which assistance is requested.
3
Assess the Documented Need
Requests would be evaluated using written eligibility standards, available funding, urgency, and the type of expense involved.
4
Complete an Independent Review
Qualified applications would be reviewed by authorized individuals or an established committee. Anyone with a personal or financial conflict would be required to remove themselves from the decision.
5
Pay Assistance Responsibly
Whenever practical, approved assistance may be paid directly to verified funeral homes, hotels, transportation providers, childcare providers, counselors, landlords, utility companies, or other approved service providers rather than distributed as unrestricted cash.
Assistance will never be guaranteed. Any future award will depend on approved policies, verified eligibility, documented need, available funding, and final authorization.
BUILDING THE FOUNDATION
Responsible Assistance Requires More Than Raising Money
Launching this fund responsibly requires clear standards, secure systems, qualified oversight, and sufficient financial resources. Donations made during this development stage will help S.A.D.D. establish the foundation necessary to serve future applicants with dignity and accountability.
Eligibility and Assistance Policies
Establishing written standards that clearly define who may qualify, what expenses may be considered, and how requests will be evaluated.
Secure Application Systems
Developing a confidential process for collecting applications, supporting documentation, and sensitive family information.
Review and Governance Procedures
Creating impartial review practices, conflict-of-interest protections, approval responsibilities, and accurate recordkeeping.
A Sustainable Financial Reserve
Building the initial funding necessary to responsibly consider future assistance requests without making promises the organization cannot fulfill.
Trusted Resource Connections
Developing relationships and informational resources that may help families connect with qualified service providers, victim advocates, grief professionals, and community organizations.
HELP BUILD WHAT COMES NEXT
Help Create the Support Families Deserve
The Family Assistance Fund does not exist yet—but with your help, it can. Your contribution will help S.A.D.D. build the financial foundation, policies, safeguards, and support system needed to responsibly prepare this program for the families who may someday need it. When tragedy changes everything, families should not have to carry every financial and practical burden alone. Together, we can begin building the support we once wished had been there for ours.
$25,000 Family Assistance Fund Launch Goal
Secure online giving • Donor privacy protected • Responsible financial stewardship
The Family Assistance Fund is currently in development. S.A.D.D. is not accepting applications or distributing financial assistance at this time. Contributions to this campaign will support the responsible development and future launch of the fund. Future assistance will depend on approved policies, verified eligibility, documented need, available funding, and final authorization.
Sons Against Drunk Driving is a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. No goods or services will be provided in exchange for a standard charitable contribution unless otherwise disclosed.