Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) held its 11th Annual UKG Walk Like MADD & MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale 5K to raise funds supporting the organization’s Broward and Palm Beach’s community education, victim support services and youth programs. More than 1,000 walkers and runners participated in the event in April, which raised over $250,000

At the race, sponsored by the Sheriff’s Foundation of Broward County and emceed by Kristi Krueger from WPLG-TV Local 10 News, attendees enjoyed children’s activities, an awards ceremony, live musical performances and vendor/educational booths. Awards were presented for top fundraiser, top team (private and corporate), and overall and age-group awards for 5K finishers.

Attendees included Walk Like MADD Fort Lauderdale Founder and Honorary Chairperson Heather Geronemus; Volunteer Chairperson Colonel Nichole Anderson, Undersheriff of Broward Sheriff’s Office; Major Robert Chandler of Florida Highway Patrol; Broward County Mayor Michael Udine; Broward County Fire Chief Gregory Holness and other local dignitaries.

Since Walk Like MADD & MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale was established in 2011, it has raised more than $3 million for the South Florida community to save lives and support victims of drunk driving, making it the most successful grassroots fundraiser in the history of MADD.

“We are extremely proud that over 1,000 members of the community came out to makes strides toward a future of no more victims,” Anderson says. “We are extremely grateful to our sponsors, participants and donors for making this a successful event yet again.”

“According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2020 annual traffic crash data, 38,824 lives were lost in traffic crashes nationwide,” Geronemus says, who is also the immediate past chairwoman of the MADD National Board of Directors. “Even considering the decrease in miles traveled during the COVID-19 pandemic, drunk driving is the deadliest killer on our nation’s roadways.”

Geronemus’ late father, Dr. Robert Perry Geronemus, was struck and killed by a drunk driver in 2009.

Event sponsors included The Salah Foundation and UKG; Sheriff’s Foundation of Broward County, UBS and Weinstein Legal; State Safety Champion Sponsor: Alert Today Florida; Broward Sheriff’s Advisory Council, DxWeb and Aetna; Brandsmart USA, Broward Health, The Florida Panthers, JM Family Enterprises, The Miami Heat and Craig Zinn Automotive Group.

Runners/walkers can still virtually participate in the 5K event through Tuesday, May 24. Donations will continue being accepted at www.walklikemadd.org/fortlauderdale through May 24.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/MADDDashFortLaud. Contact [email protected] for any additional questions.