A Stockton University nursing student's work to start a designated driver program within her sorority has made her a hero.
Alexa Moore is the university's HERO of the Year for the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for DesignatedD Drivers.
“I could not be more proud to be aligned with something like this,” Moore said.” “I’ve worked really hard in my life to make myself proud of what I’m doing, and I think this might be my proudest achievement so far.”
The Ocean County student was surprised when she joined Sigma Delta Tau and found it was the only sorority on campus that relied on an external car service for social events transportation.
It's something the now-junior decided to change once she became risk management chair of the sorority’s executive board.
The program uses other members of Sigma Delta Tau as designated drivers.
“Be Like Alexa. Be a Designated Driver" signage featuring Moore's photo says.
It will be featured on signage around campus and on a highway billboard, promoting the message to be a designated driver HERO.
“I’m sure my mom is going to make me take a picture with it, everywhere,” Moore said with a laugh. “But I’m really excited to be the face of the HERO Campaign for the next year. It’s a great thing to be a part of.”
Moore said she witnessed the impact of drunken driving when she was an emergency medical technician in high school at Donovan Catholic in Toms River.
“I’ve seen the disasters of drunken driving and the fatalities it can cause,” she said. “As a nursing major, this is something I feel really strongly that needs to change in the world. We need to have better programs to allow people to not feel like they have to get behind the wheel.”
Bill Elliott, who founded the HERO Campaign to honor his son who was killed by a drunken driver in 2000, said they received more nominations from students than in any other year in the program’s history.
He praised Moore, along with first runner-up Molly Schick, of Marlton, and second runner-up Sarah Cipkins, of Somers Point.
“These young ladies who were nominated and selected are wonderful examples, and probably have already saved a life and certainly will in the future as they serve as examples,” he said.
Since 2010, Stockton has partnered with the HERO Campaign on the Hero of the Year program and the HERO Games on campus, in which members of the university’s Greek organizations compete and raise awareness of the campaign.
This year, 156 students took the HERO pledge before the games began. The HERO Campaign also organized a separate Greek Week Penny Drive with Stockton fraternities and sororities that raised nearly $600.
Elliott said it’s all part of a comprehensive marketing plan to change people’s behavior around drinking and driving.
“We’d like to change the meaning of some terms like happy hour and life of the party,” he said. “The real life of the party is the designated driver that enables other people to have fun and still be safe. And the happiest ones at Happy Hour are those who get a ride home from someone who makes sure they get home safely.”
(Photo at top: Bill Elliott and Alexa Moore with the campaign that will feature the Stockton University nursing student. Credit: Mark Melhorn.)
