HERO Campaign takes to Sea Isle City Promenade
to find walkers for October event in Ocean City

SEA ISLE CITY - Bill Elliott walked along the Promenade on Saturday encouraging people to honor his son's legacy. John R. Elliott dreamed of serving his country in the Navy, but since his death in 2000 he has served in a different way: as the inspiration for the HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers.

Bill Elliott and other volunteers on the Promenade along the beach sought people to sign up for the first John R. Elliott HERO Walk in October. As part of the day, Bill Kindle, owner of the Kindle Ford-Lincoln dealership in Cape May Court House, supplied a 2012 Ford Focus filled with water bottles. Residents were asked to guess the number of bottles in the car to win a pair of Philadelphia Phillies tickets. Kindle said he wanted people to focus on the importance of the campaign's message. "We know several people who have died because of drunk drivers," the Cape May Court House resident said. "I think it's a great thing to support a campaign for designated drivers."

John Elliott, a 2000 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, was killed in a head-on collision with a drunken driver July 22, 2000, in Salem County. The 22-year-old Egg Harbor Township native was preparing to attend Naval Flight Officer School in Pensacola, Fla. The family started the HERO Campaign to urge people to become designated drivers, Bill Elliott said. Over the years the campaign has expanded into five states, and Bill Elliott said the campaign aims to have 1 million people pledge to be a designated driver. The effort also has drawn support from local colleges and teams in Major League Baseball and the National Football League, he said.

"People say we don't know if we could do this," the Egg Harbor Township resident said. "I say we hope it never happens to you. That's why we're doing this." Past HERO fundraisers have included annual golf tournaments and a 10-year anniversary dinner held last summer at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort. Chuck Richvalsky, a retired operations lieutenant with the Richard Stockton College Campus Police Department and a volunteer for the HERO Campaign, said he would talk to the students about being responsible.

"Too many times, everyone goes out, everyone drinks and someone gets hurt," the Mays Landing resident said. "Being a designated driver means you are being a good friend. You're taking a night off so someone else can drink. It will save a life."

Sara Martino, an associate professor of psychology at Stockton, signed up for the walk Saturday. Martino said her cousin died following an accident with a drunken driver.

"As a college professor, I try to preach to the students you can have a good time but you also have to be safe," she said.

Sea Isle Mayor Len Desiderio stopped by the tent with a proclamation marking Saturday "John R. Elliott Hero Day." The mayor said people can take cabs or other forms of public transportation to ensure they get home safely.

"It's a great cause," he said. "It's very important people realize we want them to have fun and enjoy themselves, but when they feel they shouldn't drive or have a second thought, they should look for a designated driver and be a hero."