On March 11, 2013, MADD Central Florida Affiliate, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, and supporters will gather at 6pm at the Orange County Administration Building, 1st Floor BCC Chambers to kick off the 2013 Central Florida Walk Like MADD event. The kick-off will provide resources for the Walk, as well as celebrate a movement of eliminating drunk driving, supporting the victims of this violent crime, and preventing underage drinking. “We will encourage families, and groups of friends and co-workers, to lace up their sneakers and join us for this year’s walk,” said Melissa Crowley, Prevention Program Specialist. “With everyone’s help, we can and will eliminate drunk driving — a 100 percent preventable crime.”
The Central Florida Affiliate of Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) will host its signature Walk Like MADD® non-competitive 5K fundraising walk in Orlando on April 20, 2013 at Lake Baldwin Park. The walk begins at 7:30am and will raise funds and rally support for MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. Presenting sponsor is Orlando Police Department.
Funds raised through Walk Like MADD help further MADD’s life-saving mission and the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which calls for high-visibility law enforcement, ignition interlocks or “in-car breathalyzers” for all convicted drunk drivers and support for the development of advanced technology to turn cars into the cure for drunk driving.
The timing for Walk Like MADD is significant because according to the 2011 Florida Traffic Crash Statistics Report presented by Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the counties that MADD Central Florida Affiliate serves (Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Brevard, and Polk) saw alcohol related/suspected crashes decrease in 2011 by 8%, and alcohol related/suspected fatalities increase in 2011 by 9%. While we are encouraged that some areas saw a decrease, that meant that in 2011 the counties that MADD Central Florida Affiliate serves still had 2,194 alcohol related crashes and 153 alcohol related fatalities. Help us bring all of those numbers to ZERO by participating in our 2013 Central Florida Walk Like MADD event! Register today at www.walklikemadd.org/centralflorida.
The kick-off on March 11, 2013 will begin our Walk Like MADD campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of underage drinking and drunk driving, as well as raise funds to help support the programs MADD provides to victims of drunk driving crashes and prevention programs. In attendance will be Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Sgt. David Arenas from Orlando Police Department, MADD Central Florida staff, victims and their families who have lost a loved one to a drunk driving crash, and other MADD supporters.
Please visit www.walklikemadd.org/centralflorida or contact Melissa Crowley at 407-831-6233 ext. 7272 or [email protected] to register, donate, or get more information.
