Why We Walk.
If you stop by the MADD Nebraska office, read our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook you know that we are talking all things Walk Like MADD/MADD Dash 5k right now. Don’t worry, we are still doing all the other parts of our jobs, but we are less than a month to our big event on October 21st and that means it gets a lot of attention. To us, there are so many aspects of the Walk Like MADD/MADD Dash event and so we wanted to share with you why we walk. It is more than your average fundraiser, although we can’t deny raising funds is part of our goal. This event is a family, coming together in a community, supporting a mission, that will end a tragedy.
Why do we walk? Because in 2017, 71 people were killed on the roads in our state by impaired drivers. Because those lives were stolen by a 100% preventable crime. Because we know a future with No More Victims is possible.
Each dollar raised is making a difference right here in our state. What does a donation to MADD do? It allows us to travel around the state speaking and educating people on the importance of making the choice to never drive impaired. It gets Power of Parents handbooks into the hands of parents of teens, giving them the tools they need to start the conversation about underage drinking and the importance of waiting until you are 21 to drink. It gives teens and middle school students Power of Youth books and presentations, helping them feel educated and empowered to make the choice to wait until 21 and never ride with a drinking driver. It supports local Law Enforcement in their efforts to arrest impaired drivers and allows us to thank them for their dedicated efforts each year at our MADD Hero Awards. It allows us to be there in the aftermath of a crash, to walk through the criminal justice system with victim families, to give them a place of comfort when their world is chaos. Supporting MADD allows us to educate, to serve, to support and to spread the MADD mission throughout the state taking us closer to the end of impaired driving.
But, our event is more than just that. It is even more than supporting a mission you believe in financially. It is coming together with people who have been impacted and people who know that this crime needs to end. Because 71 lives, is 71 too many and the millions before that were too many too. It is making connections. Families supporting other families, friends listening and understanding, strangers joining together and knowing that they are making a difference. It is time to show our community that we have had enough and this event helps us do just that.
We hope you will join us in supporting Walk Like MADD/MADD Dash 5k. Whether through registration and attendance, becoming a virtual walker or through a donation to support a team. Every little bit of support makes a big difference.
You can learn more about the walk/run and register here.