On Sunday, April 28th, walk for a great cause, at the 9th annual Walk Like MADD and MADD Dash 5k at Huizenga Plaza in Ft. Lauderdale. The event’s founder Heather Geronemus says it will be a day you won’t forget.
"We're so excited to bring back sponsors and thousands of participants for a really meaningful day to raise money for MADD but really to bring the community together before tragedy occurs and unite everyone around a purpose of ending drunk driving," said Geronemus.
And it's an event you can bring your whole family to, and even your pets.
"We have a kid zone sponsored by Memorial Hospital. We've got a community corner where other nonprofits can come and join us, sponsored by the Broward Sheriff's Foundation. It's just a really fun day with live music and really upbeat. I know the cause is sad and people like me have come to it for a sad reason but the purpose really is for everyone to come together to know that they can end drunk driving before more tragedy occurs," said Geronemus.
Walk Like MADD & MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale 5K continues to make a huge impact on the community. And it’s come a long way in nine years.
"Looking back over the nine years that we've been doing this, we've seen so many strides in DUI enforcement community awareness. Fort Lauderdale police department has a DUI task force now that's dedicated just to DUI in Fort Lauderdale which we didn't have before. They've made over 600 arrests over the course of a year, we are really stepping up, the whole community is to crack down on DUI and save lives," said Geronemus.
On a personal level, MADD has been of huge comfort to Heather.
"My father Dr. Geronemus was killed by a drunk driver while he was crossing the street and after that Mothers Against Drunk Driving reached out and helped me when nobody else could help me. It was the support that I never knew I needed and I never wanted to have, but it meant so much to me," said Geronemus.
If you’d like to sign up for the race, you can do so at walklikemadd.org.