Signing Kids Up For A Drug-Free Life

Volunteers from the Rocky Mountain chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World joined the fun at the 10th annual Frank Shorter RACE4Kids’ Health and Expo.

Two-time Olympic medalist and Colorado favorite son Frank Shorter created the RACE4Kids’ Health in 2009 to spread the power of running for children’s health and lead the way for health-conscious communities. Kids run in capes and other costumes and it’s a great afternoon for the entire family. Now in its 10th year, the race saw a new addition to the competition: the Kids Marathon Challenge. Kids age 14 and younger won the competition by running or walking at least 25.3 miles—the length of a marathon—between January 1st and April 6th.

Drug-Free World was among the nonprofits at the after-race Expo, where young athletes and their families learned about healthy choices. Kids signed the drug-free pledge and took home copies of youth-friendly booklets that present the truth about the most commonly abused drugs.

One visitor to the booth was a healthcare worker from a local hospital who told the volunteers about the increase in emergency room visits from those experiencing extreme psychosis from synthetic drugs and high-THC marijuana.

A former cocaine addict shared his story—Ritalin prescribed at school was his gateway drug. “I began on Ritalin in 4th grade,” he said. “It was easy to graduate to cocaine when I was a teen.”

Volunteers invited Expo guests to join them April 26 in Denver when Michael DeLeon, founder of Steered Straight, will present “Vaping Me Crazy.” Deleon is a recovered addict and national leader in addiction advocacy and criminal justice reform. He will cover what a parent, teacher or guardian should recognize as clues that a student or child is vaping, and how to connect with kids and have the tough conversations necessary to help them make better decisions about drugs.

Frank Shorter is an American two-time Olympic medalist. He won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. His Olympic success is credited with igniting the running boom in the United States during the 1970s. A long-time resident of Boulder, Colorado, in 1979 Shorter co-founded the Bolder Boulder, an annual Memorial Day 10k race, and the annual Frank Shorter RACE4Kids’ Health.

Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a secular nonprofit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions to live drug-free. The Foundation’s Truth About Drugs campaign is the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention initiative. The Church of Scientology and Scientologists support the Foundation, making it possible to provide these materials free of charge to community leaders, groups and educators for their use in dealing with this vital subject.