Ocean City, N.J. – Despite predictions for a rainout, the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign was blessed with a dry day and mild temperatures as it hosted its 12th HERO Walk and 1-Mile Fun Run on Sunday, October 15, 2023, on the Ocean City Boardwalk. Hundreds of supporters, along with families who have lost loved ones to drunk driving, participated in the walk-run event.

Thanks to hundreds of HERO Walk participants, whose registration fees added to the generous contributions of dozens of sponsors, tens of thousands of dollars were raised by the HERO Campaign on Sunday.

The HERO Campaign was established by the family of Navy Ensign John Elliott of Egg Harbor Twp., NJ, after he was killed in a collision with a drunk driver near Woodstown in July 2000, two months after he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was named the Outstanding HERO of his graduating class.

Just prior to the start of the Walk, a ceremony was held to recognize the top Walk teams, along with the event’s sponsors and volunteers. A memory banner displayed pictures of numerous victims who have lost their lives to drunk driving tragedies.

This year’s event featured an unveiling of the new Stockton University HERO-wrapped patrol car, dedicated in memory of Stockton student Kevin Ade, who was killed in a collision with a drunk driver in 2007. The event also featured a display of a dozen HERO patrol cars from police departments throughout South Jersey, which serve as rolling billboards for the campaign as they are wrapped with the HERO Campaign’s blue and yellow logo and safety message, “Be a HERO. Be a Designated Driver.”

For more information visit HEROcampaign.org or call 609-626-3880.