MADD Presents Strides for Change at Castle Island
5K Walk to Benefit Mothers Against Drunk Driving; Nissan Teams With MADD as National Sponsor and Encourages Public Support
BOSTON, Sept. 30 -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is pleased to announce that its inaugural signature 5K walk, Strides for Change, will be held at Castle Island, South Boston on Saturday, October 1, 2005. The event will begin with a moving opening ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Strides for Change is a 5K, non-competitive walk that enables corporations and individuals to team up with MADD to "keep our children and communities safe."
Strides for Change was conceived as a fun, healthy and safe way for local communities to come together to save more lives and prevent future injuries on their streets. Strides for Change also calls attention to an alarming statistic -- after a long and steady decrease, alcohol-related traffic deaths have increased each of the past three years, with more than 17,000 people killed and 500,000 injured nationwide in 2002. 100 percent of the net proceeds from Strides for Change will support MADD's mission to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and their families and prevent underage drinking.
"I can think of no better way for businesses and individuals to come together and help keep our community stay safe than by participating in and supporting Strides for Change," said Barbara Harrington, State Executive Director. "Walkers and their pledge supporters are the key ingredient in securing the funds necessary to benefit MADD's lifesaving mission."
"By bringing MADD's mission to stop drunk driving and Nissan's commitment to child safety, the Strides for Change walks will raise public awareness and funds to support the prevention of traffic fatalities," said Robert Yakushi, Nissan North America, Inc., director of product safety, regulatory and accessory quality. "Nissan is proud to be a part of these events and is not only a sponsor, but our employees have formed teams to raise money for MADD as well."
Other 2005 MADD Strides for Change events are taking place in Laredo, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Detroit, Atlanta, Columbus, Lansing, Cincinnati, Albuquerque, Los Angeles and Sacramento through October 2005. Anyone can sign up to walk at one of these local events, become a virtual walker from anywhere, 24 hours a day, or make a charitable donation to help support Strides for Change by visiting http://www.stridesforchange.org/
Local residents can register for the walk as an individual, form their own team or join a team sponsored by their company. Registration materials are available from the MADD Massachusetts Chapter at http://www.stridesforchange.org/ (select Boston). To enhance the benefit of their participation, walkers may secure pledges from friends, family and coworkers.
Sun Life Financial is the local sponsor and Legal Sea Foods is an in-kind supporter.
In addition to the walk itself, participants will enjoy a health and safety fair, kid zone, pet area and much more both before and after the walk.
About MADD
Founded in 1980, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is the premiere organization working to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. MADD has approximately 600 chapters and 2 million members and supporters nationwide. Visit http://www.madd.org/ or http://www.stridesforchange.org/ .
About Nissan North America, Inc.
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. More information on Nissan North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at http://www.nissanusa.com/ and http://www.infiniti.com/ .