Brandon’s Dad, a local nonprofit focusing on DUI prevention, recently received a $40,000 grant from a state program to help that cause.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s Reducing Underage Drinking and Dangerous Drinking Grant spans two years. Brandon’s Dad Executive Director Vernon Hilyer, who founded the organization after his son, Brandon Hilyer, died as a result of drinking and driving, said $20,000 will be received in each of those two years.
It was in 2008 when Hilyer lost his son, who was nine days short of his 22nd birthday. He learned of the news when police arrived at his home in the early-morning hours.
“Impairment starts at the very first drink,” said Hilyer, who emphasizes the point during his DUI prevention programs.
He now speaks at schools, adult probation DUI classes, youth detention centers, prisons, and even fairs and festivals to warn people of the dangers of drinking and driving.
Hilyer said he goes to “as many schools as I can” to tell his son’s story, and hopes to eventually travel to the northeastern part of the state.
“I share a story about my son, Brandon, that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “I talk about how he was the all-around American kid who was sadly introduced to alcohol. I talk about how he was introduced to alcohol and how it affected him.
“He wrecked his car and alcohol took everything away from him. He had everything at his fingertips and lost it all to alcohol.”
Hilyer reaches people by reminding them that there is someone who cares about them and wants them alive, and that drinking and driving affects more than just themselves.
“The bottom line is somebody’s going to miss you,” Hilyer said.
Brandon’s Dad also has teamed with Armstrong County’s “Day of Giving,” Bridge Builders Community Foundations “Week of Giving” and, more recently, Redbank Valley’s “Day of Giving.”
People also might recognize billboards Hilyer has around the area that addresses the dangers of driving under the influence.
Brandon’s Dad became a 501c3 nonprofit in August 2014.
Board of directors include Anthony Adams, Doug Thomas, Sheila Snyder, Walther Shattenburg and Dustin Parsons, all of whom are involved in alcohol prevention in the community.
“Two of the guys on that board have been through recovery themselves,” said Hilyer, whose plan is to save as many lives as he can through his DUI prevention program. It’s hoped the grant will make it easier for him to reach more people.
“What I do in prevention not only helps students and adults, but it also makes the road safer for the rest of us,” he said.
Hilyer is grateful to have the opportunity to touch lives and make a positive impact on others so they do not have to suffer the loss he did.
“I have God, who carries me through everything,” Hilyer said.
For more information about Brandon’s Dad, go to duiawareness.com or call (814) 229-2308.
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