Candy Lightner holds a picture of her late daughter inside her office in Sacramento, Calif., on Feb. 26, 1981. (AP Photo)

Candace Lynne “Candy” Lightner is the Lebanese-American organizer and founding president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Lightner grew up in Pasadena, California, then later attended American River College, after which she married Steve Lightner and had three children– twins Cari and Serena and son Travis. 18 months after the twins were born, a drunk driver rear- ended candy’s car when her daughter, Serena, was in the car with her. Serena ended up injured from the crash. Six years later, an impaired driver ran over Travis. He had several broken bones, was in a coma, and had permanent brain damage. The driver, Candy later learned, was impaired by tranquilizers and had no license when she ran over Travis. She did not get a ticket.

On May 3, 1980, Candy’s 13-year-old daughter, Cari was walking in her quiet neighborhood in Fair Oaks, California. She was on her way to a church carnival. A drunken driver struck her from behind. He briefly passed out, came to, and drove off after having killed the young girl. The crash threw Cari’s body 125 feet and so badly mutilated her body that her organs were not donatable. The driver was a repeat DWI offender. He was out on bail for a hit and run drunken driving crash only two days earlier. Killing Cari was his fifth offense in four years.

Lightner started MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) in her home on May 7, 1980, only four days after her daughter’s death and one day after the funeral. “I promised myself on the day of Cari’s death that I would fight to make this needless homicide count for something positive in the years ahead,” Candy Lightner later wrote.

The object of her organization was to raise public awareness of the serious nature of drunk driving and to promote tough legislation against the crime. Lightner appeared on major television shows, spoke before the U.S. Congress, addressed professional and business groups, and worked for many years to change public attitudes, modify judicial behavior, and promote tough new legislation. She became a leading victim’s advocate, teaching victims and survivors how to fight for justice in the courtroom. As MADD’s Founding Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board, Lightner turned MADD from a small California grass roots organization into an international corporation with 400+ chapters worldwide and an annual budget of more than 12 million dollars. Under her leadership, MADD’s membership base grew to more than two million.

Her advocacy led to the successful passage of more than 700 bills at the state and national levels, including legislation raising the drinking age to 21 — a move credited with saving thousands of lives. She has testified before Congress, statehouses and committee hearings and has formed coalitions, such as SOS (Save Our Students) as powerful political tools.

After MADD, Lightner continued to work as a social activist and public speaker. She wrote the 1990 book Giving Sorrow Words: How to Cope with Grief and Get on with Your Life. She served as the president of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee from October 1994 to March 1995. In 2014, Lightner founded We Save Lives, an organization that offers a representative voice on highway safety issues, focusing on the “3 D’s” –drugged, drunk and distracted driving. She continues to serve as president of this organization.

Resources

A&E Networks Television. (n.d.). Biography.com. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.biography.com/activist/candy-lightner

Candy Lightner – Arab American of the day. Arab America. (2016, December 15). Retrieved April 21, 2023, from https://www.arabamerica.com/arabamericans/candy-lightner/

Candy Lightner of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Alcohol Problems and Solutions. (2022, January 16). Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org/candy-lightner/

Founder of MADD: Founder of we save lives: Candace Candy Lightner. Candace Lightner. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.candacelightner.com/Meet-Candace/Biography