Community Corner

MADD Walk in Johns Creek Saturday

Community members can walk, form teams or donate.

The Georgia Affiliate of Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) — along with special guest, MADD National President Jan Withers — will host its signature Walk Like MADD® non-competitive 5K fundraising walk in Johns Creek on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The walk begins at 9:30 a.m. at the State Farm Operations Center (11350 Johns Creek Parkway, Johns Creek Technology Center) and will raise funds and rally support for MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®

“We encourage families, and groups of friends and co-workers, to lace up their sneakers and join MADD and State Farm for this year’s walk,” said MADD National President Jan Withers. “With everyone’s help, we can and will eliminate drunk driving — a 100 percent preventable crime.”

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“State Farm is proud to partner with MADD to host the Walk Like MADD 5K at our Operations Center,” said Public Affairs Manager Rob Lowenthal. “It is State Farm’s mission to help people recover from the unexpected. State Farm’s participation in the Walk Like MADD event is just one more way we’re helping people manage the risks of everyday life.”

“It is an honor for our city to be chosen as a site for the annual Walk Like MADD event,” said Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker. “My thanks go to State Farm Insurance for their generous sponsorship. And we all owe a debt of gratitude to the Georgia affiliate of Mothers Against Drunk Driving for raising awareness of the preventable nature and tragedy of drunk driving. We appreciate their offering this great event to our community and look forward to its success.”

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There are three ways to participate in Walk Like MADD:

1) If you live in the Atlanta area, you can register to walk as an individual or form a team.

2) If you are unable to attend the walk, you can sign up online to raise money as a virtual walker.

3) Or, you can give a one-time donation to Walk Like MADD.

Please visit www.walklikemadd.org to register, donate or get more information.

Funds raised through Walk Like MADD help further MADD’s life-saving mission and the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which calls for high-visibility law enforcement, ignition interlocks (or “in-car breathalyzers”) for all convicted drunk drivers, and support for the development of advanced technology to turn cars into the cure for drunk driving.

In addition to the walk itself, there will be lots of fun activities for the whole family, including t-ball and giveaways with the Atlanta Braves’ B.A.T. (Braves Around Town) Team, a dunking booth, games, and much more. Plus, Mayor Bodker will be in attendance.

In 2009, 331 people in Georgia were killed in drunk driving crashes. Nationwide, nearly 11,000 people died as a result of drunk driving and more than 350,000 people were injured in drunk driving crashes.

Sponsored nationally by State Farm Insurance, Walk Like MADD events are taking place in 36 cities across the country this year. Registration is $15 for those ages 5-21, and $20 for those who are 21 and over. Corporations and other groups are encouraged to form teams of 10 or more and are asked to raise $100 each through donations.

Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, MADD is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking. And as one of the largest victim services organizations in the United States, MADD also supports drunk driving victims and survivors at no charge, serving one person every nine minutes at 1-877-MADD-HELP.  Learn more at www.madd.org.


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