(Rowan University students celebrated their school’s inaugural HERO Games Friday, April 20, 2018.)

GLASSBORO, N.J. (April 20, 2018) – Hundreds of Rowan University Inter-Greek Council students capped off a week of fun Greek Week activities and advocacy efforts Friday, April 20th at their school’s first ever HERO Games, promoting the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign’s message of safe and sober designated driving and honoring the anniversary of former Rowan student, Matt Uhl, who tragically lost his life to a drunk driver. Viking Yacht Company and OceanFirst Foundation sponsored the event.

The week’s activities followed on the heels of a $4,000 donation to the HERO Campaign by the Inter-Greek Council students, who raised the amount in a crowdfunding campaign. Proceeds raised from the HERO Games benefited the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers to prevent drunk driving tragedies.

The closing ceremony, held on the campus’s Intramural Turf Field, saw the students celebrate their tremendous efforts, which included signing up several hundred students to take the HERO Pledge to be a safe and sober designated driver for friends and family. The students, who represented campus fraternities and sororities, enlisted their classmates to take the pledge during a week of fun, outdoor activities.

Bill Elliott, Co-Founder and Chairman of the HERO Campaign, is delighted with the valiant efforts by the committed students.

“I am so impressed with the dedication and devotion of these Rowan University students to the message of safe and sober designated driving,” Elliott said. “Our HERO Games are a fun and energetic outing to spread our message about designated driving, and the enthusiasm and eagerness of these students is truly impressive and heartwarming.”

The event marked the fifth anniversary of the tragic death of Uhl, who on April 12, 2013, lost his life after being hit by a drunk driver in front of his Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house on campus while crossing the street. The 22-year-old senior studied entrepreneurship and was set to graduate that spring.

“For Rowan’s Greek Council to come together and honor Matt by bringing the HERO Games to their campus is testament to the passion and devotion of today’s young adults,” Elliott said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury among young adults. In a survey conducted by researchers, one in three young adults reported being a passenger of an impaired driver at least once in the past year. Additionally, 20 percent of drivers were reported to be alcohol-impaired.