Taking Strides to End Drug Overdose in Lake County: Gateway Announces 5K Run/Walk
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) October 13, 2016 -- Gateway Alcohol & Drug Treatment Centers will be hosting One Stride at a Time: A Race to End Drug Overdose on Saturday, November 5, 2016. All proceeds will benefit Gateway’s Naloxone Distribution Program and the Lake County Opioid Initiative.
The event will take place, rain or shine, at Hastings Lake in the Lake County Forest Preserve, located at 21155 W. Gelden Road, Lake Villa, IL 60046. All ages and fitness levels are welcome to join. The 5K (3.1 mile) run/walk will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by the Kids 1K Fun Run, which will start at 9:30 a.m.
Participants can register online at RecoverGateway.org/LakeVilla5K. Online registration will be open until 12 p.m. on Thursday, November 3, though people can register at packet pick-up on Friday, November 4 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Gateway Lake Villa (25480 W. Cedarcrest Lane, Lake Villa, IL 60046). Participants may also register the morning of the race, but to guarantee their requested t-shirt size, they are encouraged to register online by October 20. The fee is $35 for the 5K and $15 for the Kids Fun Run.
Participants will receive various giveaways, and will also be entered to win raffle prizes including (but not limited to) gift certificates to Jewel, Mariano’s, Butera, and Polson’s Health Foods. After the race, participants are welcome to refuel with bagels and other light snacks and refreshments.
Gateway wishes to thank all the 5K sponsors, including TASC, Sodexo, Brightside Clinics, Kaufman, Hall & Associates LLC, Footprints to Recovery, Roscrance, Soft Landing Interventions, Midwest Labor Assistance Professionals, Greater Wisconsin Employee Assistance Professionals Association, Lake County Chiefs of Police Association, The Village of Mundelein, Citizens for Mike Nerheim, Live4Lali, Intren, and Serenity House Counseling.
If you don’t want to run or walk but still want to help out, volunteers are welcome. A variety of positions are open, and you can sign up online at tiny.cc/LakeVilla5K. You can stay updated on the 5K with Gateway’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Make sure to visit our YouTube channel after the race to revisit the day’s fun!
The goal of the run/walk is to raise awareness of and funds for preventing drug overdose. Gateway’s Naloxone Distribution Program helps to decrease the fatalities caused by overdose. Naloxone, an opiate antagonist that reverses the effect of overdose from opiates such as heroin, can provide a window of opportunity to save a life until emergency medical help arrives.
The Lake County Opioid Initiative was started to address the rapidly increasing opiate problem in Lake County, in which 69 Lake County residents have died due to heroin and other opiates—doubling in just 5 years. Lake County State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim called on local stakeholders to develop a comprehensive opioid prevention strategy for Lake County. Several groups, including Nicasa Behavioral Health Services, Live4Lali, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, George Filenko Chief of Round Lake Park Police Department and Commander of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, and Roosevelt University’s Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy, worked together to develop the outline for the opioid prevention plan—considered a model for Illinois, and for the nation.
About Gateway Alcohol & Drug Treatment
Since 1968 our goal has been straightforward: To help clients get their life back on track and achieve a life of sobriety, free from drug use and symptoms of mental illness, that is productive, socially responsible, and healthy. As the largest, non-profit treatment provider in the country, we currently operate drug and alcohol treatment programs in more than 43 locations for men, women, adolescents, special needs, and clients diagnosed with co-occurring mental health disorders.
Gateway’s Community Division has treatment centers located throughout Illinois, including Carbondale, Chicago, Lake County, Fox Valley, Springfield, and the St. Louis Metro East area. These centers offer residential and outpatient treatment services for adults, teens, and adolescents accessed through insurance, state funding, and self-pay.
Gateway’s professional clinicians help thousands of individuals successfully complete treatment by developing a personalized plan that treats the underlying causes of substance abuse—not just addiction to drugs or alcohol.
Learn more about insurance coverage, treatment options, or Gateway's confidential consultation at RecoverGateway.org or call 877-505-HOPE (4673).
Reporters and Editors, for more information, please call Leslie Colman, Marketing Director, at (630) 776-5725.
Katrina Crumley, Gateway Foundation, http://RecoverGateway.org, +1 6307765725, [email protected]
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