Press Release: 2014 HERO Walk attracts nearly 1,500 supporters
(October 5, 2014) Ocean City, NJ – On a beautiful sunny Sunday morning at the Ocean City boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ, nearly 1,500 supporters threw their hats into the air to mark the beginning of the 4th Annual John R. Elliott HERO Walk.
“It was a great day full of positive energy and smiling faces,” said Bill Elliott, founder of the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers. “The HERO Walk and this year’s Hats Off for HEROES hat toss is a way of acknowledging the people who serve as designated drivers and make the road safer for all of us.”
The “Hats Off to HEROES” promotion officially launched the 100,000 HEROES Challenge in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, with the goal of having 100,000 people take the HERO pledge to be, or to use, designated drivers whenever alcoholic beverages are consumed.
“Thanks to everyone who supported this event including the incredible teams from around the area, the many families who walked together and our amazing sponsors,” Elliott said. “This is the fourth year we have been in Ocean City and we hope to see everyone in 2015.”
The HERO Campaign has grown from a local cause into a national movement that has been adopted by seven states from Boston, Mass., to Louisville, Ky. The organization uses highway billboards, TV and radio commercials and educational programs to promote its message, “Be a HERO. Be a Designated Driver,” in partnership with schools and colleges, law enforcement, highway safety agencies, Major League Baseball and NFL teams, NASCAR and bars and taverns. Over the past decade, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other states have seen a marked decline in DUI fatalities, due in part to the efforts of the HERO Campaign.
