'CUT-A-THONS' RAISE $7,000 MADD TO USE CASH FOR TRAINING.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

BEVERLY HILLS - A series of ``cut-a-thons'' held by John Paul Mitchell stylists at various sports marketing events paid off in a big way Wednesday for the local chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

Karen Mendenhall, director of the Antelope Valley/Kern County chapter of MADD, received a $7,000 donation from John Paul Mitchell Systems during ceremonies in the company's Beverly Hills headquarters; $4,000 of the funds were dedicated to the Antelope Valley/Kern County chapter and $3,000 earmarked for the Los Angeles chapter.

Both chapters provide programming and support for the Santa Clarita Valley.

The donations were made in tribute to Anthony Amodio, whose mother, Lynn Olds, and sister, Briana Amodio, work at the John Paul Mitchell Systems manufacturing plant in Santa Clarita.

Anthony Amodio was killed in a crash on Bouquet Canyon Road on Dec. 26, 2002. His passenger, Ciji Lyn McBroom, also died as a result of her injuries. Travis Bibeau was convicted of vehicular manslaughter in June 2003 and is serving a 32-month sentence in state prison.

``Because of the death of my son, I think it was a slap in the face to the family,'' Olds said. ``You always think these things happen to other people, but this one hit home. We've had other deaths in the company for other reasons, but this one made him (John Paul DeJoria, president of the company) more aware.''

Olds said posters with her son's picture on them were used during several cut-a-thons at skateboarding and volleyball events across the country. Stylists volunteered their time and for a minimum $10 donation to MADD, provided haircuts for event participants.

The donation came as a surprise to Mendenhall, who said funds will be used for additional training and outreach efforts.

``The funds given to the Los Angeles chapter will be used for training victim advocates to help children through the grief of losing an older sibling,'' she explained. ``In the A.V. chapter, we're working on an outreach program in the local high schools around sober prom and sober graduation. We make sure they get a lot of literature and we send speakers to the schools just before those events to remind them of the dangers of drinking and driving.''

Mendenhall said speakers often include parents and family members who have lost loved ones to drunk drivers and law enforcement officials who remind the students of the laws relating to their use of alcohol.

``We've had quite a few crashes here,'' she said. ``We really need to get the word out.''

MADD also sponsors events such as the annual ``Every 15 Minutes,'' which rotates through the local high schools and Sober Spring Break events at colleges, as well as supporting the DUI trailer that travels throughout the valley as a grim reminder of drunk driving consequences.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com