From left, Team DUI members Laura Solis, administrator of Lake County's Alcohol and Other Drug Services, Clearlake City Council member Judy Thein and Clearlake Police Chief Allan McClain at the 24th annual Superstars awards banquet at the Sacramento Hilton Hotel on May 28, 2008. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – Team DUI, a local group organized to fight underage drinking and drinking and driving, has been honored with another award.

The group was one of the winners of the County Alcohol and Drug Program Administrators Association of California's 2008 Prevention Award.

On May 28, Team DUI members, including Clearlake City Council member Judy Thein, Clearlake Police Chief Allan McClain and Laura Solis, administrator of Alcohol and Other Drug Services (AODS), traveled to Sacramento to receive the honor.

The award was presented during the 2008 Superstars award banquet, the association's 24^th annual awards event.

"Chief Allan McClain and I were very honored and proud to accept this award for Team DUI,” said Thein. “Our entire team are certainly superstars for their courageous dedication to helping make the community safer and healthier through education of the harmful affects of drinking and driving with the focus on underage drinking.”

She added, “We try to help our youth and adults understand the consequences of the decisions they make. Each member of the team fulfills a different role but the message we deliver is very powerful when we work together.”

Thein said Team DUI received the award for its collaborative prevention partnership. It was the first year the county received an award from the association.

Other award categories included public policy, treatment and recovery, valuing diversity, innovative programs, collaborative partnerships, lifetime achievement, administrator leadership and state support.

Notable recipients in other categories included Assemblyman Jim Beall for public policy and the late Butte County Superior Court Judge Darrell Stevens for lifetime achievement.

The membership of the nonprofit County Alcohol and Drug Program Administrators Association of California includes the designated county alcohol and drug program administrators representing the state's 58 counties, according to its Web site. The group advocates on behalf of alcohol and drug programs throughout the state.

In March Team DUI won a Stars of Lake County Award for Best Idea.

Thein – whose daughter Kellie died in December 2005 in a DUI crash – also was honored in January for her efforts to fight drinking and driving, receiving the California Friday Night Live Partnership's Super Star Adult Ally award for her work.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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