About P.A.D.D.D Courses
Positive Alternatives to Dangerous and Destructive Decisions (PADDD) provides court-approved educational classes for individuals involved in traffic violations, impaired driving, distracted driving, and other dangerous driving behaviors.
Our programs are taught by nurses, police officers, EMTs, trauma survivors, and medical professionals who have personally witnessed the consequences of unsafe driving decisions. PADDD accepts court-ordered, lawyer-referred, parent-recommended, and employer-referred participants throughout Maryland and nationwide through our online classes.
Our sole intent is preventing traumatic injury and death caused by motor vehicle crashes.
Meet Our Founder
Debbie Yohn, CPP began her nursing career in 1984 when she graduated as a Registered Nurse. Has a BSN & a MA in Biblical Counseling. Her first job was with the state at Maryland Institute of Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS)/Montebello on the Brain Injury Unit. After a year she transferred to The Shock Trauma Unit in Baltimore, Maryland and worked from 1985-2011 in various nursing positions. Ms. Yohn is a survivor of a drunk driving crash that occurred in 1979 at the age of 17. Believing a picture is worth a thousand words and young people could learn from her story, in 1996 she became a Certified Prevention Professional and building her expertise of injury prevention. Working with juveniles, Ms. Yohn developed and implemented programs for school based assemblies, health classes and small group sessions held at the hospital. In 1995 she co-founded Positive Alternatives to Dangerous and Destructive Decisions (PADDD), a 501c3 program to provide more educational alternative sentencing programs to local communities. Ms. Yohn is a participating member of the many local grass root efforts to educate and advocate safe driving practices.
Ms. Yohn has been a speaker for National Safety Counsel, Mid-Atlantic DUI Conference, Prom Promise Assemblies & guest speaker on local radio and TV shows. She has also presented various jails and detention centers for adults and teens. She has taught for Comcast, BG&E, US Military Safety Stand Down Days, High Schools, and Universities. PADDD was awarded a grant with MHSO (Maryland Highway Safety Office) for five years and continues to attend and support programs offered throughout Maryland.
A new program developed in 2012 is Positive Choices for Life. This program is currently available for teens in Frederick and Washington Counties. The program was developed by Ms. Yohn for the Frederick County States Attorney’s office to offer education to youth in the judicial system. Parents have also attended the class with their teens and have benefited from the knowledge of injury prevention.
Past awards include a Governor's award, many local awards for community involvement and the Daily Record Health Care Hero in 2005. Mrs. Yohn has authored two books for children and families of soldiers past and present. The first book, “Keep My Daddy Safe” was written as a gift to her five year old son as her husband deployed to Iraq. The second, “PTSD Through The Eyes Of A Child” highlights the journey of emotional healing for a family after a loved one returns from war.
In 2014 Ms. Yohn provided services at River Valley Ranch after a storm or microburst hit the camp injuring many children and killing one. The night of the storm she volunteered as a nurse caring for children & providing resources for camp directors Ms. Yohn also provided Critical Incident Stress Management & Debriefing for staff and campers directly involved in the storm's destruction and rescue efforts. She remained at the camp for 5 weeks serving as a biblical counselor.
Ms. Yohn resides in Maryland with her husband, two son's, daughter and two grandsons. Mr. Yohn is a retired army reserve Master Sergeant injured in Iraq in 2005/06 tour of duty. Together they are involved in their church community and volunteer for various organizations.
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The P.A.D.D.D Team
Jennifer Weaver
Prior to retirement in 2025, Jennifer Weaver, MA, CAS, NCSP worked as a special educator and school psychologist in several Maryland school districts. In 2015, while driving home from one of her schools, Jenny caused a car crash that resulted in a fatality due to being distracted by a cell phone behind the wheel. This tragedy brought Jenny to the world of public speaking in which she shares her story to bring attention to the dangers of distracted driving.
Since 2017, Jenny has been a speaker for both the Positive Alternatives to Dangers and Destructive Decisions (PADDD) program and the Chesapeake Region Safety Council (CRSC) which attempt to modify unsafe driving behaviors in teens and adults. She is also a participant in the Occupant Protection/Distracted Driving Emphasis Area Team for the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) as well as the Calvert County Traffic Safety Committee. Jenny has spoken to students at numerous high schools and colleges as well as to members of several safety organizations and government agencies around the DMV regarding the dangers associated with distracted driving. In addition, a portion of Ms. Weaver’s testimony at MDOT’s 2019 Annual Traffic Safety Summit Press Conference was featured in several news outlets and her comments at the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety’s release of the 2020 Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws were live-streamed nationwide.
Jenny’s story is also featured in the latest version of the National Safety Council’s Defensive Driving Course which is taken by approximately 500,000 drivers from across the country. Lastly, Ms. Weaver has presented in-person and written testimony in favor of distracted driving prevention legislation in the hope that it would lead to greater safety on Maryland’s roadways.
Patricia Y.
Wilson
Patricia Y. Wilson, MA, BSN, RN, FCN, known as PJ, retired from the University of Maryland Medical Center, where she served as a Clinical Practice and Professional Development Coordinator. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Maryland School of Nursing and a Master of Arts in Theology and Christian Counseling from Capital Bible Seminary and Lancaster Bible College. She is also certified in Faith Based Community Nursing.
PJ began her career as a trauma nurse at the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and has held nursing and leadership roles in occupational health, hospital management, public schools, and professional education. Throughout her career, she has educated, mentored, and coached nurses in areas including leadership, patient safety, communication, stress management, ethics, and clinical best practices.
For more than 15 years, PJ has served as a motivational speaker for Positive Alternatives to Dangerous and Destructive Decisions (PADDD), the Alternative Sentencing Program, and Positive Choices for Life, helping educate at-risk audiences about the dangers of impaired and unsafe driving.
PJ is also active in faith-based education and community service. She has presented at retreats, conferences, and workshops and participated in a medical mission to the Philippines that provided care to more than 800 people.
Debbie Hardy
Debbie Hardy, RN, begun public speaking in 2004, four months after the crash that killed daughter, Janet. Ms. Hardy shares the story of Janet's life and death and the events that lead to the tragic crash and how life has changed since the crash. Janet’s Story is a story of hope, courage and loss. It’s the story of Janet Hardy, a thirteen year old who was killed by a drunk driver. It’s the story of her Mom finding hope in a world of grief. Janet’s Story begins with the life of Janet as told in her own words. Her story continues with the events that lead to the crash caused by a drunk driver, the impact of the crash and drunk driving on family's and surviving life after the loss of a child. Ms. Hardy has continued her journey of public speaking in the hopes of changing lives while changing how people view drunk driving. Ms. Hardy’s belief is that one person can make a difference and her life is a testimony to such.
Ms. Hardy works as a full time Registered Nurse for the State of Maryland. Ms. Hardy has presented for PADDD, MADD, Virginia Beach DUI Conference, Governor’s Office in Maryland, Maryland State Highway Office, Maryland State Police, Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office, Local Colleges and High Schools along with multiple treatment facilities throughout the state of Maryland. She is an active member of Maryland’s Impaired Driving Coalition and the Harford County Traffic Safety Advisory Board. Ms. Hardy also manages the Janet Hardy Memorial Scholarship Fund, a non-profit that hosts an annual soccer event every April to support the Scholarship Fund. The event places Police and Fire personnel in benefit soccer matches against local teens.
Debbie Hardy
Debbie Hardy, RN, begun public speaking in 2004, four months after the crash that killed daughter, Janet. Ms. Hardy shares the story of Janet's life and death and the events that lead to the tragic crash and how life has changed since the crash. Janet’s Story is a story of hope, courage and loss. It’s the story of Janet Hardy, a thirteen year old who was killed by a drunk driver. It’s the story of her Mom finding hope in a world of grief. Janet’s Story begins with the life of Janet as told in her own words. Her story continues with the events that lead to the crash caused by a drunk driver, the impact of the crash and drunk driving on family's and surviving life after the loss of a child. Ms. Hardy has continued her journey of public speaking in the hopes of changing lives while changing how people view drunk driving. Ms. Hardy’s belief is that one person can make a difference and her life is a testimony to such.
Ms. Hardy works as a full time Registered Nurse for the State of Maryland. Ms. Hardy has presented for PADDD, MADD, Virginia Beach DUI Conference, Governor’s Office in Maryland, Maryland State Highway Office, Maryland State Police, Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office, Local Colleges and High Schools along with multiple treatment facilities throughout the state of Maryland. She is an active member of Maryland’s Impaired Driving Coalition and the Harford County Traffic Safety Advisory Board. Ms. Hardy also manages the Janet Hardy Memorial Scholarship Fund, a non-profit that hosts an annual soccer event every April to support the Scholarship Fund. The event places Police and Fire personnel in benefit soccer matches against local teens.
