It didn’t matter whether people were walking or running it, St. Francis teachers and the St. Francis Drug Awareness Committee invited the community to put on their tennis shoes and join the movement.
The “Dash for Dreams” run held on Saturday, September 27, was not exclusive to adults and students were encouraged to participate.
“It would be good for students to participate to become leaders in the promotion of drug awareness,” said health teacher Kathy Weiland. “The more education the students have on the effects of drugs and chemicals, the more likely they will be to make better decisions and be able to educate their peers.”
After a number of drug overdose incidents last year, including a current and some former high school students, members of the community founded the St. Francis Drug Awareness Committee.
“We’ve been working on putting this run together for about a year,” said SFMS health teacher Anita Koep who helped organize the event. “We had about 100 people pre-registered for the run.”
Counselor Jill Salo supports the SFDAC and its efforts to bring awareness to the community, especially for students.
“It’s really important for students to know that the choices they make now, will affect them in the long run,” said Salo. “A good way to stay away from drugs is to go out with friends who will help you make good decisions.”
Along with Koep, Cindy Opp, Joelle Allerd and Becky Lysdahl partnered with SFDAC to plan the event over the past year.
The run began at SFMS and ended at The Ponds golf course. It was free to participate. Along the route, organizers posted signs that would add to the awareness campaign.
“Talk to your child about drugs and do it early,” read sign one.
Sign two stated the fact that there is no age limit. “Children of all ages are exposed to drugs.”
Sign three encouraged the role of parents in the fight against addiction. “Parents remain the biggest influence over a child’s behavior,” it read.
The final sign encouraged family activities. “Simply spending time with your child will make them less likely to try drugs.”
Koep wanted to let families who may be struggling with drugs know that they are not alone.
“We just really want the community to be aware and educate them about drugs,” said Koep, “and offer opportunities for other activities for families.”