Local advocates will mark National Recovery Month with the 11th Run for Recovery, a community 5K dedicated to raising awareness of substance use and mental health challenges.
Organizers said that the event, set for Saturday, Sept. 27, at FDR State Park at 9 a.m., will also include a virtual option throughout the month, allowing participants to join from anywhere.
Kicking off the morning, the “Save a Life Wellness Fair,” will give attendees the chance to explore community resources. Year-round access is available through a virtual fair at savealifewellnessfair.vfairs.com.
The run first started in Yorktown in April 2014 when Victoria Metz, founder of the organization Run 4 Recovery, and Susan Salomone, who co-founded Drug Crisis in Our Backyard in 2012, came together and planned an event that would raise funds for both organizations as well as awareness.
The goal is “to raise awareness, stop the stigma and raise additional funds to support our missions.”
Organizers are expecting a large turnout because of what Salomone said is “efforts in networking with organizations that have similar missions and our media outreach.”
Among other organizations involved in the event are Search for Change and Alliance for Safe Kids (ASK).
Ashley Brody, CEO of Search for Change, said substance use and mental health have a universal impact, and it is important for community members to understand.
“We want the community to understand people with mental illness, substance use disorder, and other major life challenges have become the ‘norm,’” Brody said. “That is, virtually everyone has been affected by these conditions, but this still isn’t as widely acknowledged as it should be.”
Participants range in age and include individuals, families and people at various stages of recovery. Brody called the event “unique” and said it is “sponsored by and for the benefit of several organizations that serve different populations with common needs.”
ASK was added to the list of organizers last year, though the community group has participated in years past. Executive Director Liz Talbert is a fierce champion for the event’s mission.
"It is our sincere hope that through participation and sponsorship, a clear message of ‘we care, and you are not alone’ will be sent to individuals and families that have been impacted by substance misuse and mental health disorders,” she said.
For nearly two decades, Tricy Cushner has served as board president of ASK, where she said the organization has worked to address substance use and youth mental health. Recovery, Cushner said, can mean something different to every community member.
“Recovery represents endless work from the individual and everyone around them. Recovery is the most fortunate of outcomes and deserves to be celebrated and supported each and every day,” she said. “The Run for Recovery is a day where families and community members come together to support not only those running towards recovery but also the memory of those who can never celebrate recovery.”
Cushner said she believes the “finish line” at the event is “more valuable than any Olympic medal” because of what the experience represents.
For Salomone, one of the best aspects of the event is the togetherness.
She said it is “coming together for the same mission, volunteers wanting to contribute their time and the community not just donating but coming together to run for the cause.”
In the United States, according to Salomone, there are more than 23,000,000 people in recovery.
And she said, the annual event is all about “bringing awareness of the continued problems associated with [substance use disorder] and mental health in this community and letting people know that we are here to help.”
There is still time to register, donate or become a sponsor. For more information, visit bit.ly/RunforRecovery2025 or text RUN4RECOVERY to 71-777.
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