Annual HERO Walk returns to Ocean City, NJ
Ocean City, N.J. – The John R. Elliott HERO Campaign will host its 12th HERO Walk and 1-Mile Fun Run on Sunday, October 15, 2023 at the Ocean City Sports and Civic Center, located at 6th Street and the Boardwalk. Hundreds of supporters, along with families who have lost loved ones to drunk driving, are expected for the event. Members of the New Jersey State Police Mounted Unit will lead participants down the Boardwalk at the 11:00 a.m. start of the walk. A State Police helicopter flyover also is planned. The one-mile fun run begins at 10:00 a.m.
More than 15 HERO Patrol Cars, wrapped with the HERO Campaign logo and message, Be a HERO. Be a Designated Driver, will be on display before and during the walk. In-person registration begins at 9:00 a.m. Participants also can pre-register individually or as a team atHEROWalkRun.org.
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 graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was named the Outstanding HERO of his graduating class.
An award ceremony for top teams will be held at 10:30 am, along with a moment of silence for DUI victims and their families. A memory banner will display the pictures of numerous victims who have lost their lives to drunk driving tragedies.
Prior to the ceremony, a new HERO-wrapped patrol vehicle from Stockton University’s Security Patrol will be unveiled and dedicated to the memory of Stockton student Kevin Ade, who was killed in a collision with a drunk driver in 2007.
Sponsors of this year’s HERO Walk include the Foster Karney Fund; Honda USA Foundation; Michael Sot Team; Iron Workers Local 399; Ocean First Bank, Kramer Beverage; Uber; Bayshore Rebar Inc.; Dallas and Di Krapf; Michael Azeez Foundation; AtlantiCare; Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City; ShopRite; The John Scarpa Foundation; Glenn Insurance; Carpenters Local 255; Team Matt Uhl; Mary Anne Kull; Borgata; Copiers Plus; ClearChannel Outdoor; IBEW Local 351; Sharon Grunow; Stockton University; Miss Night in Venice Pageant; NJM Insurance Group; Outfront Media; Icona Resorts; Anchorage Tavern; Ocean City PBA; EASRCC Brotherhood of Carpenters; Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Union of NJ; and Fabietti, Hale, Hammerstedt and Powers, PA.
