MADD Hosts 20th Annual Austin Jingle Bell 5K

Mother Against Drunk Driving hosted its 20th annual Austin Jingle Bell 5K recently at the Domain. With thousands of participants, the event is designed to bring awareness to the issues of drunk driving, drugged driving, and underage drinking.

Regent Property Group Broker Brian Talley and Regent Co-owner Erika Talley hosted a booth at the family friendly event. Brian’s motivation for supporting the event stems from his experiences; he was rear-ended by a drunk driver while in high school and also was witness to a drunk driver receiving his ninth Driving While Intoxicated citation. Unfortunately, he says, “We have all heard of people killed from a drunk driver, and many may have a personal experience.”

The Jingle Bell 5K included a chip-timed 5K for adults, plus a Kids’ Elf Fun Run that included elves joining in the fun. Santa also made an appearance, along with plenty of Santa hats and jingle bells, as each participant was outfitted with her or his own set of jingle bells to create a “jingle bell atmosphere,” according to organizers. The top three adult finishers were Sebastian Villalva from Austin, Mark Wilkers from Pflugerville, and Chelsea Hanson from Austin.

Talley said events like this highlight an issue that can be especially potent this time of year with holiday gatherings. “People need to be reminded to plan for transportation when they drink and to be reminded of the destruction drunk driving will cause.” He said, “MADD is one of the few organizations I know that is championing this cause.”

Learn more about the events at http://austinjinglebell.com/.