HIGH LIFE A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : MADD Is Offering a Promising Gift for Mother’s Day

Orange County Mothers Against Drunk Driving has come up with an unusual gift for teen-agers to give their mothers on Mother’s Day: a greeting card that carries a pledge by the son or daughter not to drink and drive or to ride with a driver who has been drinking.

The cards will be available today through Sunday in stationery departments or at Orange County MADD booths in 43 Broadway department stores in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.

Thanks to a donation from the Broadway stores of Southern California, the cards are available for a $1 donation to MADD to be used for programs for teen-agers.

Celebrations will be held today from 2 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. at the Broadway stores in Huntington Beach and Brea.

An organization begun by 11 high school students last year to produce anti-drug films won $50,000 and the top honor recently at the annual Disneyland Community Service awards luncheon.

The Orange County Student Advisory Council Against Drug Abuse was among 63 groups to receive a total of $250,000 from Disneyland at the 32nd annual awards presentation at the Disneyland Hotel.

The council, started in February, 1988, has grown to more than 100 students from 60 high schools. They have produced three 90-second public videos that are showing in local theaters. The students do all the writing and acting; the goal is to help students deal with peer pressure.

Nimisha Gohal, 18, one of the original council members, said that the honor came as a complete surprise and that she started shaking as it was announced.

“It’s amazing what we have done,” Gohal said. “We wanted to form a council to let students know that it’s OK to say no to drugs.”

Gohal, a senior at Orange High School, said the council will use the $50,000 to make another video.

A total of 452 nonprofit organizations had applied for the awards. Winners were selected by a six-member committee of community leaders and all of the money awards were donated by Disneyland.

--MICHAEL CICCHESE,

Times Staff Writer

“Never mistake motion for action.”

--Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)