HOULTON, Maine — A rainy start to the day did not dampen the spirits of 65 walkers participating in the fourth annual Walk Like M.A.D.D. – Remember Darcie Hutchinson event.
Held at Houlton High School, the event was a fundraiser for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and organized by Heather Campbell McCarthy, a schoolmate of Hutchinson at HHS. Hutchinson was a graduate of the Class of 1993 at Houlton and was killed in Connecticut in 1996 at the age of 21 by a drunk driver.
“Darcie was my best friend, killed by a drunk driver and not a day goes by that I don’t think about her and miss her,” McCarthy said. “This walk is very close to my heart. Although I can never bring Darcie back, if we can just make a difference in one person’s life, than it’s all worth it and it is what Darcie would have wanted. She may be gone, but she will never be forgotten, and as the people started arriving at the walk, it was overwhelming to see the support and love of all our friends and family that showed up, and it’s such an encouragement. We will make a difference!”
Hutchinson’s siblings, Nicole (a 1988 alum) and Jasen (a 1991 grad), participated in a large-scale Walk Like M.A.D.D. event in Raliegh, N.C. Saturday. The two siblings raised more than $8,000 for their walk.
McCarthy said her husband Donny and children, Darcie (named after her mother’s deceased friend), Skyler and Natalee look forward to the walk each year and were once again a great help putting up posters and making shirts and signs for the walk.
She did not have a total dollar figure for the amount raised from the walk by Tuesday morning because donations and pledges continued to roll in.
“Despite the rainy morning weather, the rain stopped by the time of our walk,” McCarthy said. “Although we didn’t have as many as last year, we still had a good crowd and I was very pleased with the outcome. I would like to thank everyone that showed up, called, sent notes, helped promote the walk, donated money and showed their support.”
Walkers gathered at Houlton High School and walked down Main Street to Market Square and back to the school. The event was a time for friends to gather and reminisce about their time spent with Darcie as students at Houlton High School.
“This is our fourth year of Walking Like M.A.D.D. and while we are doing it in Darcie’s memory, we also want to remember all victims and their families,” McCarthy said. “We want to spread the much needed awareness of this deadly disease. Unlike cancer, this disease can be cured. All we need is to spread the word. If you choose to drink, don’t drive. It’s really that simple.”
McCarthy said she hopes that the Houlton walk can become big enough to one day be an official “Walk Like M.A.D.D.” location for the state of Maine. Currently, the nearest official walk is held in Connecticut.
“Darcie was loved by everyone,” she said. “Her outgoing personality, contagious smile, and her beautiful face that lit up any room she entered. I know if she were still here with us today that she would be walking with us. She was a great supporter no matter what the cause. You could always count on Darcie to join in and help.
According to Nicole Hutchinson’s official Walk Like M.A.D.D. fundraising page, she raised $4,795 with her walk.
“It’s hard to believe that she has been gone for 17 years this September,” she wrote on her page. “Not a day goes by when I do not think of her and wonder what she would be doing now. The pain may not be as severe as it was 17 years ago, but a level of emptiness does remain.”
Nicole added she appreciated the efforts of the Houlton walkers.
“I would like to thank Heather and those who walk every year with us,” Nicole said. “The money raised in Houlton this year will go to bringing someone in from MADD to do some training with students and parents.
“If a few people are interested, they would also train them to become MADD volunteers for Maine. We are working on the details with MADD now.”
