Churches Take Up Battle Against Drunken Driving

Sat., July 15, 1995

Janine Zuniga Associated Press

The message was simple: Si Toma, No Maneje.

If you drink, don’t drive.

That was the sermon directed at the Catholic parishioners at Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe in downtown Dallas, and in nearly 100 other churches in Dallas and Houston during the Independence Day weekend.

“La Promesa” is a written pledge to be a sober driver, to prevent family members or friends from driving drunk, and to promote safe holiday celebrations by encouraging the use of designated drivers.

Volunteers greeted churchgoers after Mass with pens and guided them to tables set up with “Si Toma, No Maneje” and “Hice La Promesa” (I Made the Promise) buttons and poster-sized signup sheets.

Church member Faustino Garcia, 30, of Dallas, was one of the first to sign up after the morning Spanish Mass.

“This is for if you’re going to drink, don’t drive,” Garcia said. “This is for your friends, too, so everyone can stop causing accidents and help families and the community.”

All together, an estimated 100,000 people made the pledge in Dallas and Houston, and the event was deemed so successful that there are plans to do it again in December, said Carolyn Williams, a spokeswoman for The Century Council.

The Hispanic program is a joint partnership involving the council, a national, nonprofit group dedicated to reducing alcohol abuse, and the Catholic Church. Based in Los Angeles, the council’s primary areas of focus are drunken driving and underage drinking problems.

Williams said “La Promesa” is part of a statewide program launched in April by Gov. George W. Bush to combat alcohol abuse.

In Texas, the Catholic Diocese of Galveston Houston, the Diocese of Dallas, and Texas business and community leaders were also involved.

“This is the first comprehensive program to combat alcohol problems that is directed at the Hispanic community,” said City Councilman Steve Salazar, as he presented a proclamation from Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk.

In 1993, more than 37 percent of adults arrested in Texas for DWI were Hispanic, although people of Hispanic origin comprise only 26 percent of the state’s population, according to The Century Council.

“We have an advisory board of Hispanic leaders who help us make sure our programs are appropriate and will reach people,” Williams said. “For instance, we know that issues of family are very important to Hispanic people.”

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