Final part of a series.
In the Herald's ongoing series on DWI, we have looked into the lesser-known effects of drunken driving. From inside looks at the arrest and arraignment process and theories on legal defense to an interview with Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, the Herald has examined the facts about DWI that many drivers are unaware of until it's too late.
One aspect of DWI we haven't yet addressed is death.
Allison Siegel, like so many others on Long Island, knows about the subject all too well. Nearly 10 years ago, she lost her sister, Melissa, to a drunken driver. Now Allison is turning a tragedy into a triumph of the human spirit and a testament to her beloved sister.
Overcoming tragedy
"I wanted to spread my sister's name and her story," Siegel said, recalling a decision she made in 2006 to start Melissa's Rainbow of Joy, a charitable foundation named for her late sister, whose middle name was Joy.
The Siegel sisters, along with Allison's twin brother, Josh, grew up in East Meadow, where they were outgoing, fun-loving kids. Melissa was also a soccer star who played for the East Meadow Soccer Club.
After graduating from East Meadow High School, Melissa, who was four years younger than her siblings, started college at Florida Atlantic University, where she was studying to become a certified public accountant. But in her sophomore year, at age 20, Melissa got into a car with a drunken driver. A crash ensued, and she died shortly after.
The news came as a shock to Allison and her family. In lieu of flowers, Allison, Josh and their mother, Diane, asked for contributions to a scholarship fund in Melissa's name for East Meadow High School students. From there, the good deeds began to grow.
Finding meaning
"When I was in high school, I would go to these scholarship awards," Allison said. "You hear people's stories, but you never really think it's going to happen to you."
Year after year, Allison, now 33 and living in Long Beach, returned to East Meadow High to share her sister's story and award a scholarship to a student on the soccer team who the family felt embodied Melissa's positive spirit and outlook on life.
But as the years went on, Allison wanted to do more. "I wanted to bring awareness of the effects of alcohol, how it can ruin someone's life or take over someone's life," she said.
She founded Melissa's Rainbow of Joy, an organization that seeks to advance DWI awareness efforts through groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Students Against Drunk Driving, and to award scholarships to student athletes.
"I think it's also a way for me to deal with the loss of my sister," Allison said, "to make her memory so clear all the time."
Each year, Melissa's Rainbow of Joy hosts a lunch at the Harbor Links Golf Course in Port Washington. This year, the event raised more than $9,000.
"It's really amazing that even though the economy is the way it is, people just give whatever they can," Allison said. And though she said she still struggles to speak about her sister in front of more than 100 people, the positive effects of her efforts are apparent. Melissa's Rainbow of Joy now awards six scholarships annually, as well as raises funds for MADD, SADD and other charitable organizations that have reached out for help.
A community pitches in
As Melissa's Rainbow of Joy prepares to mark its fifth anniversary, and the 10-year anniversary of Melissa's death, community awareness is, no doubt, growing.
Last year, 13-year-old Alexis Epstein, a member of the East Meadow Soccer Club's Sparks U-14 premiere team, was looking for a community-service project to do for her bat mitzvah, a Jewish rite of passage that recognizes a teenager's transition into womanhood. Alexis organized the club's first charity soccer tournament, with all proceeds benefiting Melissa's Rainbow of Joy.
The tournament raised $7,000, according to Steve Epstein, Alexis’s father and the East club’s executive vice president. The club is already planning next year's tournament, although it was originally planned as a one-time event. Registration will be available on www.EastMeadowSoccer.com.
To learn more about Melissa's Rainbow of Joy or to make a contribution, go to www.MelissasRainbowofJoy.org.
"Each year I feel like the people that keep coming back [to Melissa's Rainbow of Joy fundraisers] learn a little more about her," Allison said of her sister. "She was really an extraordinary person."
Comments about this story? Szeidler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
