A 5K walk to raise awareness and funds for Mothers Against Drunk Driving will honor former Valley residents killed by drunk drivers.
Nicholas Rotunno Jr., an aspiring musician former Stratford resident, was killed by a drunk driver in January 1985. He was just 28.
Click here to learn more about Rotunno’s life and legacy.
Last year, 85 people were killed in drunk driving crashes in Connecticut alone, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
The number balloons to nearly 10,000 nationally.
Shelton’s Violet Wills and her family know the pain of such loss all too well — a drunk driver killed two of her relatives on Shelton’s Route 110 in December 2001.
Ever since, Wells has tried to keep their memories alive through working with MADD at events like their annual “Walk Like MADD” events.
This year Wills will be walking in the Oct. 25 walk at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, 785 Unquowa Road.
The chairpersons for the event are Eileen Rotunno and Dee Cavalli Tutka. Tutka’s daughter was killed by a drunk driver in Shelton in November 2009.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m.
Money raised supports MADD initiatives like its “Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving,” which calls for
- ignition interlocks for all drunk drivers,
- sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols
- community support
- and the development of advanced technologies to make vehicles inoperable by drunk drivers.
The event has a goal of raising $50,000. As of Sept. 29, 20 teams representing 127 walkers have raised $28,095.
Links
Click here to learn how to participate in the event.
Click here to read about or donate to Wills’ team.
Click here to read about or donate to Tutka’s team.
Click here for a team organized in honor of Nicholas Rotunno.
Click here for a list of all the teams participating in the walk.
Click here to volunteer for the event.
