In the last decade, Robbie Pace-Courtright has made significant contributions to the work of preventing drunk driving.
She's received statewide awards for her nine years of work with Victim Impact Panels, and she was named the Central Missouri Chapter president of MADD.
Pace-Courtright, a nurse more than 40 years, even organized Heroes for Heroes, a tribute to regional law enforcement who are making drug and alcohol enforcement a priority.
The volunteering, whether monitoring courtrooms where drunk-driving cases are being heard or sharing her personal loss story with offenders, has consumed most of her time.
It is all part of her grieving and healing process from the loss of her brother, Duane David Pace.
Pace-Courtright was on vacation in Mexico when she received the call from her daughter her baby brother was gone.
Duane Pace graduated from California High School in 1985, was a veteran of both the U.S. Navy and Missouri Army National Guard and had been a dispatcher with the Moniteau County Sheriff's Office. He was remembered in 2010 with the
Missouri Legislature's designation of the Duane David Pace Memorial Highway, U.S. 50 from Route 87 to Jacket Factory Road.
Pace, a bridge repair crewman for Missouri Department of Transportation, was working a routine bridge-maintenance project in Republic.
At 3 p.m. May 13, 2002, he was standing in the middle of an intersection flagging traffic when the vehicle driven by Shawn Burch, 29, Brighton, Illinois, ignored the stop lane and struck Pace, 34, throwing him several dozen feet.
Crews had been working at the bridge for several days, and the work zone was marked 2,500 feet in advance with bright orange signs, MoDOT said.
Only a few weeks after the avoidable loss of her brother, Pace-Courtright reached out to the area MADD chapter for direction with court and legal matters.
Burch was charged with vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence, and careless and imprudent driving. But the family - including three sons under age 12 - never saw it go to court, as Burch died, Pace-Courtwright said.
But that was only the beginning for the California native.
"Part of my healing was to get involved," Pace-Courtright said.
She began by sharing her story with offenders through the Victim Impact Panels, which are court-ordered for DWI offenders. To date, more than 1,000 offenders have heard her story.
"Robbie's impact on drunk-driving offenders is not easy to gauge, but many times the personal and written comments at the end of the program appear honest and sincere from folks who never plan on driving drunk again," according to the Missouri Highway Patrol's Arrive Alive Award presented in November.
"The recidivism rate for the attendees are lower than the normal driving populations rate. (Her contributions) are immeasurable but completely invaluable. Her story and willingness to volunteer has helped stop drunk driving in Missouri for many years."
In addition to presenting at VIPs, she is the regional coordinator for the VIP program and, as regional chapter president, promotes MADD by speaking to groups, schools and conferences.
One of the first issues Pace-Courtright said she has to clarify is MADD's identity. They are men and women of all ages and walks of life whose singular goal is to reduce driving under the influence.
"I always say, 'We're not against alcohol or drinking; we're against driving under the influence,'" Pace-Courtright said. "We're concerned volunteers trying to keep our communities safe."
MADD works with victims and their families to navigate the court system and to deal with their grief and loss.
"They want to help you move on," she said.
The organization also monitors courtrooms and annually reports on how individual courts and prosecutors are dealing with under-the-influence cases.
Three years ago, Pace-Courtright introduced another program to the area MADD chapter.
Heroes for Heroes recognizes area law enforcement officers for their work to reduce drunk driving or for other drug enforcement.
She presented a handful of officers with a paper certificate in 2015 at the MADD office.
In 2016, she and her brother, Robert, hosted a dinner to recognize 15 officers with plaques donated by the Missouri Department of Correction's restorative justice program.
Thanks to community donations, Heroes for Heroes will recognize 30 officers, selected by their agencies, Wednesday with a private dinner and plaque.
"We want our officers to know they have an ally behind them," Pace-Courtright said. "They have families, too, and risk their lives every day."