Stoneham Coalition 5k Brings Community Together

The Stoneham Coalition hosted its annual 2019 Run for Recovery 5k on Town Day, Saturday, September 14th. The Coalition was proud to have a great youth and community representation at the 5k, with around 125 people participating and 19 businesses and individuals involved as sponsors. All of the race proceeds will support the Stoneham Coalition's mission to educate the community about addiction and provide preventative services.

This year was the first year of adding a "Kids Fun Run" to the event, which drew around 25 participants and encouraged positive connections between elementary age youth and teens from the Stoneham High School Youth Action Coalition, who assisted with the event. Children were given fun medals and a book "Isaac's Story", a story encouraging youth to share their feelings, donated by the Department of Mental Health.

"We are so fortunate to have so much support from our community members, our volunteers, and so many of the businesses in Stoneham. Everyone understands that addressing and preventing substance use disorder is our collective responsibility and we have been able to achieve so much through the hard work, dedication, and passion of all those who consistently show up," said Kayla Vodka, Program Director for the Stoneham Coalition.

The Coalition would like to thank the Boys and Girls Club of Stoneham for hosting and all of the volunteers, participants and sponsors of this year's successful event.

About the Stoneham Coalition for a Safe & Healthy Community

The mission of the Stoneham Coalition is to address the epidemic of drug and alcohol abuse in our community through education, advocacy, environmental changes, and promoting and creating opportunities for healthy and responsible behavior. For more information, visit https://www.stonehamcoalition.org/