Ninth Annual Event Embraces Local Community
For the ninth consecutive year, the Watertown Urban Mission will use its popular Run for Recovery 5k walk/run and 10k run to spread awareness of the dangers of substance use in the North Country. Unlike runs held in previous years, this year’s event will not be held in honor of one particular individual but will be a community-owned event in which each participant is invited to walk or run in honor, memory, or support of a loved one whose life has been affected by substance use.
The Run for Recovery serves as a community effort to raise awareness about the addiction epidemic in our community, to help stop the stigma surrounding addictions, and educate others of the many resources available to seek treatment, guidance, and fellowship in recovery. All proceeds raised will benefit the Bridge Program of the Watertown Urban Mission. The Bridge Program empowers individuals to rise above their addiction through substance abuse treatment, case management, volunteer work, and life-skill building. Last year’s Run for Recovery drew over 400 participants, raising over $15,000 for the Bridge Program.
Victims of addiction are people from all socio-economic backgrounds and the consequences of addiction are life-changing and in too many cases, life-ending. The social stigma surrounding addictions has to change so that our addicted neighbors, family, and friends will be willing to seek treatment, rather than suffer in silence and shame. With the number of individuals suffering from addiction in our community rising to alarming heights, it’s more important than ever that we come together now, in support of recovery from addictions.
This year’s Run for Recovery will be on Saturday, September 9, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. and features an exciting course starting at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds in Watertown. Pre-registration is open now for $20 per person. Same day registration, which will open at 7:00 a.m. with check in at event, will be $25 per person. You can register online or print the mail-in registration form at zippyreg.com/online_reg/reg2017.php?e=870.
New this year, you can further your participation in the cause by creating a personal online fundraising page that you can easily share with sponsors in order to achieve your fundraising goals.
We encourage you to share photos of someone you are running/walking in honor, memory, or in support of to development@watertownurbanmission.org for addition into the community photo montage that will be displayed at the event. This unique feature serves as a reminder of all of those who have been touched by addiction and will unite the community at large.
Bridge director, Carol Lehman, comments on the new additions, saying “We are enthusiastic about the features this year’s event offers. Both the personalized fundraising element and the photo montage will emphasize the community as a whole; this year it is for everyone impacted.”
We invite everyone affected by addiction, whether first-hand, or through a family member or friend, to support recovery from addictions by participating in or supporting this event.
For information about the dangers of substance use, visit oasas.ny.gov/.
For information about the Run for Recovery, including online registration and to download and print registration forms, call the Watertown Urban Mission at 315-782-8440 or go to WatertownUrbanMission.com/RunforRecovery.htm.