Shepherd’s House holds 5K and Fun Run for addiction recovery programs

More than 700 runners woke up bright and early for the 23rd annual event

LEXINGTON, Ky (WTVQ)- While Keeneland is known for its’ racing, on Saturday it was the site of another race: The Shepherd’s House “Run for Recovery.”

More than 700 runners woke up bright and early for the 23rd annual event, including Anthony Russell.

“I know some guys in recovery, I’m also in recovery myself so I’m out here supporting the entire thing, the training, the running, Shepard’s House,” said Russell.

Russell is nearly one year sober. He says running and exercise a re playing a big part in his journey towards a full recovery.

“I’m a big believer in running, physical fitness for improving mental health, physical health, all that,” said Russell.

Money raised from the event will go towards the heart of the Shepherd’s House mission, which is to provide programs, transitional housing, and other resources to help men and women get sober from alcohol and drug addictions…

“It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year, so we count on it because this money goes a long way that we can help people. We’ve grown astronomically over the last 5 years. We now treat over 500 people per day across 19 treatment centers,” said Shepherd’s House president and CEO Jarod Thomas.

Many of the people they serve  wouldn’t otherwise have that opportunity if it weren’t for that funding.

“They come to us from various places. Sometimes they’re coming to us from jails, sometimes they’re just coming to us as referrals. And we take them in we can provide housing for them or we can provide outpatient therapy services, inpatient therapy services,” said Alex Winn-Marvin, a therapist at the non-profit.

The Shepherd’s House has also helped some of its own staff, like Roger Fox, who arrived in 2015 right out of prison.

“The program was able to provide me with some life skills and daily living skills to be successful in recovery, so for us to be able to take that and give it back to somebody else, and then watch them turn around and give it back to somebody else is a very fulfilling experience,” said Fox, who is now the vice president of the Shepherd’s House.

For those who are still dealing with addiction, Russell has some advice.

“Find someone, talk to someone. Don’t keep it inside. Talk to someone, there’s plenty of meetings, look online. There’s so many people willing to help, you just have to ask,” said Russell.

You can find resources to help in addiction recovery below: