With the MADD 5K, Heather Geronemus Turns Tragedy Into Activism

In January 2009, Heather Geronemus' dad, Dr. Robert Perry Geronemus, was in Miami giving a speech at a medical conference. That night, he decided to walk home to the hotel where he was staying, and he was struck and killed by a drunk driver.

"It was a beautiful January night in Miami, and he died in the middle of Brickell Avenue," Heather recalls. "My dad died on the street that day. The driver tumbled out of the car and thought he hit a mailbox."

A representative of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reached out to offer support, but it wasn't until a couple of months after her father's death that she was able to reach back. Nancy Leffel, a MADD victim advocate, stayed with Heather throughout the trial, helping her face her father's killer in court.

"I really needed to find a way to help," Geronemus says. "[I was] testing out the various ways to get involved with MADD."

MADD began in 1980 when a mother turned her grief into action. It is the nation's largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking.

"MADD was founded by Candace Lightner, a woman who lost her daughter to a drunk driver, and she started to become active in the community advocating for change in laws and how court cases are handled," Geronemus explains.

Following the death of her father to a drunk driver in 2009, Geronemus took a leadership role in MADD's South Florida chapter and helped establish the annual Walk Like MADD and MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale in 2011.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's April 2023 report, from 2019 to 2021, drunk driving deaths in the United States increased by 31 percent. Hoping to raise awareness of that fact, MADD Southeast Florida will host thousands of walkers, runners, and supporters at the 13th annual Walk Like MADD and MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale 5K on Sunday, April 28.
"Bringing people that have been impacted together with people who have not been impacted to create positive change is what I've wanted to do," Geronemus says. "Law enforcement, elected officials, pets, kids, and thousands come together in downtown Fort Lauderdale for a fun day about positive change. We'll also have a memory wall with photos and names so people can see the real people behind this cause."

"I've seen kids grow up at this event," Geronemus continues. "One of my girlfriends has a 12-year-old who was a baby when we started this thing. She's gone to the event every year, and I know when she gets her car, she's going to make smart decisions."

The community-driven 5K raises awareness about drunk driving and underage drinking while uniting community members around MADD's mission. Since it was established in 2011, Walk Like MADD and MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale 5K have raised more than $3.7 million, which stays in the South Florida community to save lives and support victims of drunk driving. This makes it the most successful grassroots fundraiser in the history of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

"It's important to me to help prevent tragedies," Geronemus explains. "I want to use my story to help change other people's lives and inspire."

That inspiration has reached Avesta Shaygannik, who sits on the board of directors of Emerge Broward, an organization of young professionals. She'll be volunteering at the 5K with several of her friends.

"We also have to keep in mind that this isn't just for drinking," Shaygannik adds. "That could be texting, that could be drugs, and Emerge Broward is a great partnership that MADD has made in the last two years."

Walk Like MADD and MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale 5K. 7 a.m. Sunday, April 28, at SE First Avenue and Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale; walklikemadd.org.