Hundreds of bicyclists gathered at the State University of New York at Farmingdale on June 4, for the Massapequa Park Bike Club's Annual Duathlon. This year, the organization chose to benefit the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) new Garden of Awareness DWI Victims Memorial being built on the campus in the fall.

Approximately 115 competitors went for a two-mile cross-country run on the campus, followed by a 13-mile bike time trial on surrounding streets, followed by a second two-mile run.

The bike club has an obvious common interest with MADD: safety on the roads. Although the duathlon does not raise an enormous amount of money, its wide audience allowed people from all over the Island to understand MADD's efforts to eradicate a crime known all too well. Paul Seward of the bike club said that he would like to donate more money toward MADD, and possibly give them proceeds from the bike club's larger events.

"This is a natural alliance with MADD," said John Farina, president of MPBC. "We are interested in promoting safety on the road. MADD's efforts to get drunk drivers off the road is in the best interest of our entire Long Island community."

The State University of New York at Farmingdale recently donated a little over 6,000 square feet of land to the Long Island chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and students helped design and create what will be a grandiose garden and wall of remembrance, placed directly in front of Walt Whitman Hall on campus. New York State Senator Charles J. Fuschillo secured $100,000 toward the memorial, which is almost half of the funding needed for the project. Approximately $250,000 is needed for completion.

The Long Island Garden of Awareness Victim Memorial will feature a 75-foot wall of bricks with the names of victims printed on them. The bricks will run five feet high. In the middle of the wall will be a break as though a car went through the wall. Long Island sculptor Michael Alfano, who lost his college girlfriend to a drunk driver, will create a sculpture depicting a young man and woman trying to mend the hole in the wall with new bricks.

Anyone who has lost a loved one from a drinking and driving accident can have a name written on a brick. MADD is asking for a $100 donation per brick, but Nigro said that no family will be turned away. 2,500 names will fill the wall of bricks, signifying Long Island victims of DWI.

The project is still in the fund-raising phase. Long Island contractors Goldberg and Rodler will start construction as soon as possible. For more information about donations, call MADD at 631-547-6233, or visit the web site at: www.maddlongisland.org.