Church Hosting Mock DUI Event To Raise Awareness

Cookeville’s Sycamore Church of Christ will host a theatrical DUI production Saturday to help parents teach children the dangers of driving drunk.

Sycamore Church of Christ Family Minister Kevin Daughrity said groups of 20 will be led through a 30-minute tour of 12 rooms. He said they will watch the story of a child losing her life to drunk driving that while fictional, is very real for many families.

“We’re just wanting people to see, you know what, hey, if this is me, I can relate to this story,” Daughrity said. “I need to make changes. I need to do things better so we can do a redo and go back and say you know what, we can make life different and change the life of a lot of people who we have an influence on.”

Daughrity said local fire, police, EMS, and rescue squads will all participate in the event. He said those public servants have been instrumental in making this event possible and helping to spread a lifesaving message.

“We’ve got about 60 in the cast and a lot of our members are helping with it,” Daughrity said. “It takes a lot to put this on and we just want to get the message out about god and about making good choices.”

He said he and many other church members attended a similar event in Louisville in the 1990s and hosted their own version for three years in the late 90s. With alcohol abuse still holding a strong grip on households today, Daughrity said it was time to bring the event back.

“Alcohol abuse is prevalent in our society, especially among our young people,” Daughrity said. “They don’t think about consequences that could, if they get behind the wheel intoxicated, they can’t make good decisions.”

The event does not just promote sobriety and responsible drinking, Daughrity said it will help people understand the importance of being “sober-minded” in all walks of life. He said upon seeing this production, people will be more inclined to name good choices across the board.