By Tim Kelly
Ocean City and the HERO Campaign are perfect together.
“It’s been a wonderful partnership,” said Bill Elliott, founder and CEO of the organization that prevents drunken driving by promoting the use of designated drivers. “There is nothing we could have wished for that Ocean City hasn’t provided. And really, to be out on a fall morning on the Ocean City Boardwalk with so many friends and supporters, what could be better?”
More than 1,000 participants are expected this weekend for the Eighth Annual John R. Elliott HERO Walk and 5 Kilometer Run on the Boardwalk. More than twice that number will be on hand to cheer the walkers and runners and partake in the many activities associated with the event.
A major fundraiser to aid the HERO Campaign, the walk and run takes place this Sunday, Oct. 21, starting at the Ocean City Civic Center, located just off the Boardwalk at 6th Street.
The competitive running portion, now in its second year, steps off at 9:30 a.m., followed by the walk at 11 a.m. Registration for both the run and the walk begins inside the Civic Center at 8:30 a.m.
Those who wish to skip the registration line, as more than 500 people did already as of Monday afternoon, may pre-register on the organization’s website at www.herocampaign.org.
Male and female winners of the run will be awarded with $100 gift cards from Olympia Sports in Somers Point and the Sneaker Shop in Ocean City, respectively. There will also be age group awards and other prizes, music, a face painter and balloon sculptor for the kids and many other highlights.
Everything takes place on the Boardwalk this year. Due to a reconstruction project on the Boardwalk last year, the race had to be detoured onto the streets of the Gardens section of town. This year, everyone will be participating in the same location.
“It’s a fun family event, but one with a serious message,” Elliott said.
Born of tragedy, the HERO Campaign has grown into a leading force to wipe out drunken driving in the United States. In July 2000, Bill Elliott’s son, Ensign John R. Elliott, was driving to his South Jersey home from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., when he was killed by a drunken driver.
The head-on collision also took the life of the other driver, who just hours before had been arrested on a DUI charge. Police released him to a friend, who gave the driver’s SUV keys back and allowed him to get behind the wheel again.
About three months later, the HERO Campaign was born.
“It was a choice we made, to honor John and to keep his spirit alive,” Elliott said. “John was a very giving person. This was a fitting way to make positive change and pay tribute to him.”
John Elliott graduated from the Academy with merit in accepting his commission as a Naval officer, also was given the 2000 HERO (Human Education Resource Officer) of the Year award at the Navy, from which the HERO Campaign took its name.
The Naval Academy honored John for his work in counseling and mentoring activities, an award that took on added significance because he was selected by his peers.
Among other accomplishments, in the nearly 18 years of the HERO Campaign’s existence, it has:
· Resulted in the passage of “John’s Law,” which went into effect in August 2001, giving police the power to impound the drunk driver’s vehicle for up to 12 hours following the arrest. It can take six hours for alcohol to clear the driver’s system.
· Developed partnerships with schools, colleges and universities to raise awareness of the need for designated drivers and promote educational programs to that end.
· Worked with bars and restaurants to provide incentives for designated drivers and work with Uber, Lyft, shuttle buses and other means to ensure patrons arrive home safely and do not harm innocent victims.
· Partnered with professional sports teams such as the Phillies and New England Patriots to develop designated driver registration programs. (In case you’re wondering, the Philadelphia Eagles are locked into a separate designated driver program with the team’s beer sponsor).
· Worked with local law enforcement officials to promote safe passage home from local bars and restaurants. It is more effective to work on the prevention side, Elliott said, than to commit resources to arresting people. At DUI checkpoints, for example, local police have worked the HERO campaign to hand out T-shirts to designated drivers.
· Provided comfort for the families and friends of the victims of drunk drivers, and given faces to the statistic: approximately 10,000 innocents are killed by drunk drivers each year, “and probably five times that many are injured,” Elliott said.
Part of the goal, Elliott said, is to make designated drivers “cool.”
“We want people to think of the designated driver as someone who is doing something great, not someone who isn’t having fun,” he said.
Many participating bars offer free non-alcoholic drinks to the designated driver. The so-called “mocktails” have become popular and a perk for the person who agrees to ensure the safety of their group. A mocktail competition has resulted in dozens of recipes for these drinks, Elliott said, and more than a quarter million people voted online for their favorites.
“People ask me, where does the money go? It goes into this,” Elliott said, running down a list of events, advertising and additional programs to expand the reach and scope of the overall HERO Campaign. The more money raised by the campaign, the wider the circulation of the message, he said.
Bill Elliott, his wife and John’s mom Muriel, their daughter Jennifer Adamchak, her husband Mike and their kids Nora and Anna are not just the faces of the HERO campaign, they are active participants.
The Ocean City event is only expected to grow.
“Mike Allegretto and his team have been outstanding, as has Kathy Caraballo, my contact at City Hall, and of course, Mayor (Jay) Gillian,” Elliott said of the city officials involved with the event. He also singled out Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Taylor for her support in getting the HERO Campaign message into the schools and school events.
The HERO Campaign has a major presence in Ocean City, not simply at the annual walk/run, but also at school events such as home football games and After Prom.
“(The run/walk) is just a great family-friendly happening,” Elliott said. “Ocean City is really the perfect place for us to have it.”
