The first “Race for the Iron Skillet” will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The Kappa Alpha Fraternity is hosting the event to raise awareness about the perils of drinking and driving.
The name of the race comes from an SMU tradition, the Southern Methodist University vs. Texas Christian University rivalry. The Iron Skillet is a traveling trophy given to the winner of the football game, which will be held on Saturday as well.
The 5K (3.1 mile) run/walk around SMU, however, is not just an enjoyable activity for family weekend. The purpose of the race is to support the drunk driving cause.
Proceeds from the race will be donated to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) of North Texas. The mission statement of MADD is “to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking.”
According to statistics provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “on average someone is killed by a drunk driver every 39 minutes.”
Another statistic states, “About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives.”
Kevin Joseph, a member of the Kappa Alpha Order and an organizer of the event said, “As you know, there was a drunk driving accident on Mockingbird Lane about two weekends ago. Drinking and driving has continued to be a problem around college campuses.
“It is sad, unfortunate, and even terrifying to know that drinking and driving- not even necessarily by SMU students- is continuing around campus. This is why we chose to work with MADD, and we hope that the mothers in town for Parents Weekend will help contribute to this great cause.”
Joseph, also said that “one of the boys who was injured in the drunk driving [accident] the other weekend was suitemates with one of our KA brothers. This was a huge wake up call for our fraternity and motivated us even more to have a successful event.”
Kappa Alpha has already raised over $3,000 from local businesses for the event and hopes to raise $2,000 more.
Olivella’s, a local restaurant, gave a donation and is a major sponsor of the race.
Anyone who would like to help raise money and awareness by participating in this event can register from 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. at the Kappa Alpha House on race day. The course begins and ends at this location.
Registration is $25, and each participant receives a free t-shirt while supplies last. Awards will be given to the top two winners in each age group. All members of the Dallas and SMU communities are invited and encouraged to participate in the “Race for the Iron Skillet!”
