Woodward Park was the place to be in the central valley of California for the inaugural Walk like MADD!  Walkers supporting MADD’s mission were in abundance as they toured Woodward Park. Over 50 teams came in custom shirts as they made their way under the balloon arch. The California Highway Patrol was represented by over 125 walkers, including Chipper the CHP mascot.  The memorial ceremony was highlighted with a dove release while a young lady signed to Alicia Keys No One.   Loved ones left behind were able to leave a message on wings of a dove. Fresno Police Officer Association greeted returning walkers with hamburgers and hotdogs. The day was made complete with friends and family enjoying fabulous activities and entertainment. The success of the Walk like MADD is owed to the volunteers who made up the committee. They worked tirelessly to ensure that the Walk like MADD was the premier event in the Central Valley. Because of their efforts this first time walk raised $20,000 over it’s goal for a total of $70,500.  

MADD Long Island’s Walk Like MADD brought another large crowd this year, with over 54 teams and 1,300 walkers who raised over $163,000!  The walkers answered the call again this year, knowing that each step taken and pledge made saves lives from drunk driving. 

On a day that was supposed to be cloudy, we had the sun shine down as walkers celebrated the lives of the ones they’ve lost and raised awareness for the preventable and violent crime of drunk driving.  They walked around beautiful Farmingdale State College Campus and returned to enjoy the fun activities, including Ridgewood Savings Bank’s Guitar Hero Contest, the Top Dog Competition, Cotton Candy and Ralph’s Ices at the Wells Fargo tent, Photos with the many characters: GEICO’s Gecko, United Skates’ Skateasaurus and the State Farm Bear among many others.  Walkers collected great giveaways from Dave & Buster’s, Long Island Parent, Black Rose Productions and Health & Safety Vendors.  They caught t-shirts and beach balls thrown through the air, watched as the Suffolk County PD demonstrated breath testers and turned on their lights on their motorcycle, and learned about seat belt safety through Nassau County PD roll-over car.  A special shout out has to go out to the Walk’s Steering Committee for putting this whole thing together – so thank you Patrick, Joanna, Jane, Christine and the 60+ other volunteers who helped out!  We’re grateful for the large increase in corporate sponsorships this year, including GEICO, Long Island Radio Group’s KJOY and 94.3, Atlantic Hyundai, Wells Fargo’s Joseph Romagnuolo, Nikon, Estee Lauder, Pugatch & Nikolis, Ridgewood Savings Bank, BBA Photography, Dave & Buster’s, Planet Party Planners, South Bay’s Neighbor, Long Island Parent and Long Island Pulse!  And that’s just to name a few!It’s because of all those walkers and their stories that MADD Long Island works so hard to eliminate drunk driving, and because of all of them that the Walk was such a success!  Until next year!

On a perfect New England spring morning MADD Connecticut kicked-off the Second Annual West Hartford Walk Like MADD. With over 350 walkers, the West Hartford Town Hall was filled with MADD supporters. While many wore t-shirts memorializing a loved one, others proudly represented their high school sports team. You couldn’t miss “The Purple Hippos” in their bright purple hats, or team “HYPE” as they danced down the street in their tie-dyed youth group t-shirts. Without a doubt this was not a sorrowful event, rather one of joy as those Connecticut lives that were lost at the hands of a drunk driver were celebrated by their friends, family, community and strangers. Even testimony from a young woman who lost her leg in a drunk driving crash brought tears of hope and inspiration. This strength and motivation was shared by each of the 47 teams in attendance, all which played a role in raising $20,000 over the goal. However, none of this success would have been possible without the unwavering support of the Walk Committee, made up of representatives from the West Hartford Community. Months before the walk the committee worked tirelessly to have space donated, draw local vendor participation and community support. Thanks to the support of these 10 committee members and the West Hartford Community, the Second Annual West Hartford Walk Like MADD was an absolute success raising more than $72,000.

On Saturday March 27, Raleigh NC held its 5th annual Walk like MADD 5k and raised over $107,000.00! The event was a huge success, and everyone had a wonderful time, even if it was only 33 degrees at the start of the walk!! The opening ceremony included a very endearing victim speech by Nicole Hutchinson and was followed by our honorary walk chairman, Mr. Gene Conti, the Secretary of the Department of Transportation in North Carolina. We would like to thank our generous sponsors, teams, participants and supporters. Without all of you we could not continue our life saving mission.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving – North Texas Affiliate is pleased to announce the 1^st annual Walk Like MADD Fort Worth fundraising event was an enormous success. The generous Fort Worth community welcomed Walk Like MADD with open arms, thus making our first walk in Fort Worth a triumphant one. Through the efforts of our corporate supporters, teams, victims, and community, the walk raised $48,000, which exceeded our goal of $40,000 significantly.  Thank you to all who participated, we could not have done it without you and cannot wait to see you next year.

This just in: Walk Like MADD, the signature fundraising event for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, just hit the 2 million dollar mark.  With more walks to go there is still time to participate.  Register for a walk or be a virtual walker at www.walklikemadd.org.  Our friends in Philadelphia will Walk Like MADD on October 10^th.  On October 17^th our friends and supporters will Walk Like MADD in Branford, CT, Cincinnati, OH and Sacramento, CA.  The Albuquerque Walk Like MADD is on October 24^th.  And Palm Beach will Walk Like MADD on October 31^st.  Bring your family and friends out to support victims of this terrible crime and help us eliminate drunk driving.

Regarded as the happiest child on the block, 18-month-old Ava Lopez was known to blow kisses at cars that passed by her home.But on the evening of April 23, the toddler with a contagious smile didn’t get a chance to blow a kiss at the alleged drunk driver who was operating the late model Mercedes that struck her, her mother and her 3-year-old sister and then fled the scene.Instead, the young girl found herself lying facedown in the grass, fighting for her life. Her mother and sister suffered minor injuries.Ava suffered head trauma and a pulmonary contusion from the crash. She remained in critical condition for over 2 weeks before being transferred to a local rehabilitation facility.  Despite her steps toward recovery it is still too early to determine whether she will suffer any long-term neurological damage.For many people in the neighborhood the crash is a haunting memory, but the community rallied to show their support.

Pink ribbons were tied to signs, lampposts and trees throughout the gated neighborhood and pink All for Ava t-shirts were created and sold as a fundraiser.  The All for Ava team raised over $7,500 for the San Antonio Walk Like MADD event held on May 16^th, 2009.

 Join All for Ava in Walking Like MADD and help MADD in the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving!

More than 3,000 participants showed their support for MADD North Texas at our 6^th annual Walk Like MADD in Uptown Dallas on April 25, 2009, which was locally presented by GEICO.  Rebecca Miller, from The 33 News, showed her support by emceeing the event. 

 There was food, fun and entertainment for people of all ages; Kids were able to enjoy face painters, balloon artists, games and cotton candy while the Teen Scene hosted a lyric contest, Wii competitions, and dancing.  Victims and their families were able to offer support for each other in the Victims Survivors area and many teams wore shirts in honor of a loved one who has been injured or killed by drunk driving.  Even dogs were able to enjoy the day at the Pooch Parlor.  The Health and Safety Fair provided participants with useful information and fun, such as free massages, giveaways and interlock demonstrations. To pay tribute to drunk driving victims, 1,300 pairs of shoes were displayed to represent the number of lives lost in Texas due to drunk driving in 2007. Texas leads the nation in drunk driving fatalities and almost 25% of those deaths occurred in North Texas.    

While participants remembered those lives lost, they also had a chance to celebrate their fundraising success, which will help MADD North Texas continue to support victims and educate the youth, all at no-cost.The drum line and cheerleading squad from South Oak Cliff High School kicked off the 5k walk with their cheers and beats that could be heard all around the neighborhood.  Walkers were able to enjoy a relaxing walk through the Uptown area, where many cars and people were able to see and hear the supporters of MADD!   Along the route, they were greeted with water, food and cheers from The Roy Williams Safety Net Foundation, Greenz and Hillcrest Bank.

Thanks to the hard work of all, MADD North Texas raised over $135,000 to help support our efforts to eliminate drunk driving.  Next year, we look forward to adding a second walk in Fort Worth, which will allow more people from all 31 counties we serve to participate in the walk itself.  

Lights, sirens, and walking….

That’s what was happing in Houston, TX on April 4^th. Houston held its fourth annual Walk Like MADD at MacGregor park. 

More than 400 walkers came out to Walk Like MADD and to help in keeping our communities safe. Deborah Duncan kicked off the event; along with the Houston Aeros dance team, the Aerosdynamics, and their mascot Chili.  The walk was started with a police helicopter buzz by. 

Demonstrations of alcohol ignition interlock took place before and after the event; along with many booths participating in the health and safety fair.   There were police vehicles lined up for walkers to see inside the vehicles, and to play with the sirens and lights. Roxy and Shadow showed off their skills in the K-9 demonstration, and the BAT Mobil was there to explore.    It was a nice day, and the park atmosphere was great for the participants. 

On Saturday, I participated along with 3,000 other walkers, in the Dallas Walk Like MADD event.

While sporting my new 2009 WLM T-shirt around town after the event, several people asked me, “What does ‘one in three’ mean?” 

“I’m glad you asked,” I said.  “Did you know that one in three individuals will be involved in an alcohol related crash at some point in their lifetime?” 

What a shocking statistic! 

When you wear your official 2009 WLM t-shirt, remember that it is an opportunity to start a conversation about drunk driving and share that it is not a crime that only impacts other people.  We are all at risk but there is a solution…

MADD knows how to eradicate drunk driving in America within our lifetime.  The Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving calls for a breath alcohol ignition interlock on all first-time convicted offenders. 

An interlock devise can prevent a vehicle from being driven by a convicted drunk driver.  It stops offenders in their tracks.  They simply cannot start their car.

Interlocks are effective.  There are over 20 high quality studies on the effectiveness of interlocks on first-time and repeat offenders.  All show decreases of 50 to 90 percent in repeat offenses when the interlock is on the vehicle. 

For more information about interlocks, visit madd.org at http://www.madd.org/Drunk-Driving/Drunk-Driving/Campaign-to-Eliminate-Drunk-Driving/Ignition-Interlocks.aspx