08/25/2026
Hey, I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up that I started school again and will unfortunately have to significantly reduce the days and hours that I will be available to run Big Sky Sobriety Shuttle LLC. providing sober rides throughout the community. I greatly apologize to the callers last night that I was not able to assist, and I hope that you made it home safely without driving impaired. I am finishing my associate's degree in substance abuse counseling at Flathead Valley Community College, taking four classes for a total of 11 credits. I have also started my bachelor's in social work at the University of Montana with a minor in psychology and will be in three different classes totaling 9 credits. Between the two schools, it will be 7 classes and 20 credits, needing every second I can to have my face buried in a textbook.
I will try to be a little bit more diligent about posting the current hours I am in service. I had a friend from school, Cadence Dean, help me come up with a little bit of an informal application if people are interested in volunteering to drive to hopefully fill the gap in my absence so that community members still have a reliable sober transportation option home to avoid causing yet another fatality wreck here within the beautiful state of Montana that we so fortunately get to call home. Please reach out to me via email, text, phone call, or private message if you are curious about volunteering. If you shoot Ms. Cadence a private message, she may be able to get you a copy of the application or answer questions that you may have if you ask real nicely (Thank you, Cadence!)
Last but not least, I wanted to encourage anyone who has a chance to attend the Montana DUI Reform Summit on September 3rd. This is your chance as a community member to voice your thoughts, ideas, and concerns about the ongoing DUI epidemic sweeping across Montana. There are going to be activities to immerse you in the "DUI experience," such as victim impact stories from people who have lost loved ones as a result of someone driving impaired, trying to navigate while wearing drunk goggles, and even having to make arrangements with the mortuary! I will be making a short five-minute speech to close the evening out by sharing my story of my experience navigating the trials and tribulations of getting a DUI. To my understanding, this event has not been created to shame anyone for their choice to drink alcohol but rather to educate the public about the detrimental consequences of getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.