Eight-year-old Joshua Adams was a smiling bundle of energy. He was an athlete who enjoyed playing baseball and basketball. His skills and stature on the basketball court earned him the title of "Little Shaq." Joshua was also a second-grade honor student who played the piano.

It was his love of music and family that motivated Joshua to get up early on Mother’s Day morning, May 11, 2008. His older brother MacKenzie was scheduled to sing in two gospel concerts that day. MacKenzie drove the family van with their mother Darlene in the front passenger seat. Joshua fell asleep, unbuckled, in the back seat. It was 5:17AM when MacKenzie came to a complete stop at a traffic light. A drunk driver on a suspended license with alcohol and cocaine in his system, going over 70 miles per hour, struck the van from behind and changed their lives forever. Precious Joshua was killed instantly.

Joshua left behind grieving family and friends devastated by this tragic, totally preventable loss. Mother’s day will forever be a sad anniversary for the Adams family.

On Saturday, November 1st, 2008 two separate walk teams honoring the memory of Joshua participated in the first Walk Like MADD event in Northern Virginia. Joshua’s mother, Darlene led ‘A Voice for Joshua’ with 61 members raising $4,579. A second team ‘Jordan’s Mission’ was headed by Joshua’s neighborhood friend, Jordan Rigney, age 13. Jordan helped to raise $2,653 most of it from small donations collected door-to-door.

Join Joshua’s family and friends in Walking Like MADD. Let’s eliminate drunk driving and end the heartache of victims and survivors.