While most would prefer to be tucked into bed, sleeping in, at the crack of dawn on weekend mornings, the Montana Bar Fairies are out on the town doing their most important work.
The group of volunteers spends their Saturday and Sunday mornings patrolling the parking lots of local bars in Montana’s Flathead Valley, searching for cars left overnight.
Their goal? To reward people who have chosen not to drive home under the influence.
When they spot a car from the previous night, they discreetly leave a card and a gift card to a local coffee shop as a token of appreciation. The funding for these cards comes entirely from their own pockets.
And the mission comes straight from their hearts, as a tribute to their loved one: Bobby Dewbre, who died in March 2023, after being struck by a drunk driver. He was on his way home from celebrating his 21st birthday, just about to graduate college.
“No one goes out thinking, Oh, I'm gonna go drink tonight. I'm gonna kill someone. You know, but that's what happens,” Beth McBride, Bobby’s mother, told KPAX News.
“The intense pain that comes when you lose your child — I don't want anybody else to feel that.”
Along with the gift cards is a photo of Bobby — or another victim of drunk driving — accompanied by the story of how they died.
The organization was created just over a year ago, and (with the exception of some weather delays), Bobby’s family, including his mother, sister Carli Dewbre, and volunteers who have also lost a loved one from drunk driving, have made their rounds every single weekend since.
“It feels good to channel that anger and sadness and angst into something productive rather than just contributing to the ugliness that already exists in the world,” Dewbre told KPAX News.
Dewbre is not the only one who feels those emotions.
There are many in Montana who have lost a loved one to drunk driving. The state ranks as the worst in the nation for drunk driving, with 8.57 drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes for every 100,000 licensed drivers.
On TikTok, Dewbre also shared that the organization is open to starting chapters in other states, as well, with one already underway in Washington, started by someone who lost her sister to drunk driving.
Back home in Montana, the Bar Fairies have also been advocating for “common sense” legal reform — called “Bobby’s Law.”
The bill, which has made it to the Montana statehouse, seeks to recognize a driver’s high blood alcohol concentration in fatal accidents as inherent gross negligence. Under current law, a high blood alcohol concentration is not considered criminally negligent.
“Everybody in this room and those listening at home should know by now that Montana has one of the most lax DUI laws in the country,” the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Braxton Mitchell, told NBC Montana earlier this year.
“It’s time we step up to the plate and pass a bill like this to prevent these preventable tragedies in the future. This should not be a partisan issue.”
Between statewide reform and the small act of thanking those who chose safety, Dewbre and her family know there is still more to be done.
On the organization’s website, they share that they hope to invest in education and school speaking, further collaboration on strengthening DUI laws, and connecting with families who have faced similar tragedies.
“Together, we can create lasting change and save lives,” the Bar Fairies website reads. “We believe in turning tragedy into hope.”
Header image courtesy of Montana Bar Fairies/Instagram
