Three years ago, Robbie Pace-Courtright introduced a new program to the Central Missouri Mothers Against Drunk Driving Chapter.
Heroes for Heroes recognizes area law enforcement officers for their work to reduce drunken driving or for other drug enforcement.
The chapter's volunteer president 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 recognized 33 officers Wednesday night with a private dinner and plaques at the St. Martins Knights of Columbus Hall.
Most of the officers, selected by 24 Mid-Missouri law enforcement agencies, were the top DWI arresting officers for 2016 in their departments. Other departments honored their top officers for keeping their communities and roadways safe.
"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."
While those present remembered lives lost to drunken driving, they also celebrated the officers for preventing more deaths.
Fulton Police Officer Brian Jackson was like many of the officers being honored. Someone close to him was killed in a drunken driving accident, so it's something he takes very personally.
"It's something I'm real passionate about," Jackson said. "It's something I can do that has a positive impact on the community. The safety of the citizens of Fulton is the number one thing. Whether the driver is from Fulton or not, we want to make sure that the roads are safe for all travelers."
Cole County Sheriff's Deputy Aaron Roberts said he was humbled to be recognized by MADD.
"There are so many guys on our department that do so much to make sure our roads are safe," Roberts said. "I'm just one person out of many trying to keep the roads safe for everybody else."
Lincoln University Police Sgt. Caleb Groner was recognized for having 20 drug- and alcohol-related arrests last year.
"We work to prevent narcotics issues on campus and we see a lot of those," he said. "We deal with a lot more impairment issues than what people may think."
Jefferson City Traffic Officer Shawn Dumsday received the award for the third time. He has lost three people close to him to drunken driving accidents. One of them was his good friend Duane Pace, Pace-Courtright's brother who was killed in 2002 and in whose memory the recognition event was started.
"I've had people say to me, 'you don't have to arrest everybody that is driving drunk,' but I say 'yes I do,'" Dumsday said. "For me, there is no gray area."