Michigan Brewery & MADD Launch Unprecedented Responsible Drinking Alliance
May 15 2024 - 5:01PM
An unprecedented agreement between Mothers Against Drunk
Driving (MADD) Michigan and a local brewery hopes to save lives,
raise funds and awareness for MADD-MI through an initiative that
places responsible drinking messaging directly in the brewery.
Heights Brewing, a new brewery based in downtown Farmington,
Michigan, has taken the bold step of being the first brewery to
directly support MADD-MI regarding the issue of responsible
drinking at the point of purchase.
The initiative will kick-off at a private event on Tuesday,
May 21, at Heights Brewing where MADD-MI
messaging will be visible throughout the brewery, and a
new live-to-stream show through My Michigan TV called Caffeinated
Conversations After Dark with Brooke Allen, will launch, with a
focus on responsible drinking, planning and the urgency of
designated drivers.
According to Paula Love, MADD Michigan Regional
Executive Director, the agreement is groundbreaking. "This has
never been done before, MADD National has recently
approved partnering with licensed establishments that sell beer and
wine.” Through MADD’s Designated Driver® campaign, MADD will
partner with breweries who take a pledge not to overserve and to
encourage its patrons who are drinking to bring a Designated
Driver® or use rideshare. “We’re excited to partner with Heights
Brewing, the owners are courageous enough to put safety and the
lives of the community before profits,” she added.
Brooke Allen, a former WWJ news anchor, and current host
of the show “Caffeinated Conversations with Brooke Allen”
(the daytime live-to-stream show on My Michigan TV) was
inspired by the possibility to reach new audiences after a
conversation with Shari Stein, owner of DesignTeam Plus, whose
company designed Heights Brewing and other breweries throughout
Michigan, and PR pro Karen Couf Cohen, who introduced Allen and
Stein for the show.
Brooke has maintained a special relationship with MADD-MI since
the tragic death of her former husband in 2004 at the hands of a
repeat underage drunk driver. Their daughter was eleven years old
at the time of his death. Brooke was pivotal in bringing MADD-MI on
board to support the program. She has made it her mission to spread
awareness for this 100-percent preventable crime and hopes to bring
her show and message on the road to participating breweries
throughout Michigan. “I have been involved with MADD-MI for years
on behalf of my daughter,” noted Brooke.
Heights Brewing will highlight MADD-MI messaging in the form of
logos, PSAs on TV screens, signage, table tent cards, QR codes for
ride shares and a fundraising effort where a people can make
donations, with a percentage of food proceeds going to MADD. "It
was an easy decision when asked if we wanted to participate," said
Shawn Kavanagh, owner of Heights Brewing along with her
husband, Ryan Kavanagh. "We empower our staff to make the call if a
customer has been overserved or shows up at our brewery
intoxicated."
“When people go out, they plan where they’ll go,
what they’ll eat, and what they’ll wear,” says Jason
Waldron, the MADD-MI Board Chair and owner of Time Warp Vintage in
St. Clair Shores, who lost his family to a drunk driver. "We
want people to also plan how they will get home if they
plan on drinking."
For more information on MADD-MI connect with
https://madd.org/michigan/ or to donate to this MADD-MI
Designated Driver® campaign please visit here.
CONTACT:
Karen Couf Cohen
KCC PR
Karen@karencoufcohen.com
(248) 396-3678