Over 700 runners woke up early for the 23rd annual event
LEXINGTON, Ky (WTVQ) — While Keeneland is known for its races, Saturday was the site of another race: The Shepherd’s House “Run for Recovery.”
Over 700 runners woke up early for the 23rd annual event, including Anthony Russell.
“I know some guys in recovery, I’m also in recovery myself, so I’m here to support the whole thing, training, racing, Shepard’s House,” Russell said.
Russell has been sober for almost a year. He says running and exercise play an important role in his journey to a full recovery.
“I’m a huge proponent of running, fitness to improve mental health, physical health, all that stuff,” Russell said.
Money raised from the event will go to the heart of Shepherd’s House’s mission, which is to provide programs, transitional housing and other resources to help men and women achieve sobriety through addiction. alcohol and drugs…
“It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year, so we’re counting on it because that money allows us to help people. We have experienced astronomical growth over the past 5 years. We are now treating over 500 people a day in 19 treatment centres,” said Jarod Thomas, President and CEO of Shepherd’s House.
Many of the people they serve would otherwise not have this opportunity if it weren’t for this funding.
“They come to us from various places. Sometimes they come to us from prisons, sometimes they just come to us as references. And we welcome them, we can provide them with housing or we can provide outpatient therapy services, inpatient therapy services,” said nonprofit therapist Alex Winn-Marvin.
The Shepherd’s House has also helped some of its own employees, such as Roger Fox, who arrived in 2015 upon his release from prison.
“The program was able to provide me with life skills and daily life skills to be successful in my recovery, so for us to be able to take that and give it back to someone else and then watch it turn around and give it back to someone each other is a very rewarding experience,” said Fox, who is now Vice President of Shepherd’s House.
For those still struggling with addiction, Russell has some advice.
“Find someone, talk to someone. Don’t keep it indoors. Talk to someone, there are a lot of meetings, look online. There are so many people out there willing to help, you just have to ask,” Russell said.
You can find resources to help with addiction recovery below:
Alcoholics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous
Suicide and Crisis Hotline
Dial 988
CSS Wellness
