“If it wasn’t for drunk drivers, we wouldn’t have a job.”

That is what Crystalline Jones heard nurses say the night she held her boyfriend’s hand for the last time.

“That hurt,” Jones said.

In an attempt to change students’ perceptions of driving while under the influence, Jones created “I Am Danny Brannon,” a new non-profit organization at the Capstone promoting the prevention of drunk drinking and good decision-making. Jones’ boyfriend, a former chemical engineering major at UA, was killed on Nov. 28 by a drunk driver while sitting at a stoplight.

“Even before he died, I wanted to get into non-profits,” she said. “You see a need, you meet a need.”

As an SGA senator, Jones helps to link teachers and students together. She is striving for more success than ever with her new campus group.

“I’ve always had a heart for service,” she said.

“I Am Danny Brannon” meets the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Jones and other leaders of the group have already started planning events.

“I’m working on a college concert tour that will focus on telling Danny’s story, but still keep people interested,” Jones said. “We want our big artist to be Cannon Jones.”

Love Spoken, an event planned by the group, was originally to be held Feb. 12 in the Ferguson Center Theater, but was pushed back due to the snow, Jones said. It will take place on a later date.

“I’m trying to do something different,” she said. “I just want to honor Danny’s love of art and music.”

The group is also influenced by a couple of the organization’s leaders. Temani Beck, a sophomore majoring in secondary education, serves as the club’s vice president.

“Crystalline is my sister and my best friend,” Beck said. “She is the epitome of a strong black woman. She is the person I want my daughter to be like when she grows up, excluding the clumsiness,” she said.

Stephen Black, faculty advisor to the group, told of how he felt towards Jones’ efforts with this new project.

“Crystalline is a very strong-willed and determined young woman and I’m honored to be her mentor,” Black said.

“I Am Danny Brannon” also raises money for the Daniel Brannon Scholarship, which focuses on black college students who are excelling in their studies.

“Our goal is to award five $1,500 scholarships by the fall,” Jones said.

The group is always accepting new members and is growing rapidly.

“It’s amazing how God works,” Jones said. “This has become bigger than me.”