CHESTERTOWN — This year marks the seventh edition of the local campaign to stand up against illicit drugs, observed annually through the month of September.
Kent Goes Purple is a substance abuse awareness and prevention initiative of the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and the Chestertown Rotary Club, in partnership with Kent County Health Department’s Prevention Office, that empowers youth and the community to “Go Purple” as a sign of taking a stand against substance abuse.
For more information, see www.KentGoesPurple.org.
The signature event is Sunday, Sept. 8 in Wilmer Park — a 5K color run/walk at 8:30 a.m., to be followed by a Purple Jamboree with music, family fun and entertainment from 10 to 11 a.m.
You can register for the color run at www.KentGoesPurple.org. The cost is $20 for adults and free for anyone 18 and younger.
You can register on-site on Sept. 8 beginning at 7:30 a.m. The cost is $30 for adults and $10 for anyone 18 and younger.
The first 250 participants will receive a commemorative T-shirt and color packet.
The Chestertown Elks will provide water at no cost.
“The Chestertown Rotary Club is proud to be a part of Kent Goes Purple and to engage our community to stand up against substance abuse and to increase awareness about the allure and stranglehold that opioids present,” Rotarian Andy Meehan, who has been involved with KGP since its launch in 2018, said in a news release.
He added, “We need to have candid conversations with our family members, friends, and colleagues about the alarming facts about the opioid crisis. That is what Kent Goes Purple is all about — to motivate people to ask questions and to learn more about the dangers of substance abuse, and to provide information about pertinent resources and assistance.”
Kent Goes Purple includes daily educational messages that are shared on Facebook (@kentgoespurple) throughout the month of September. KGP’s calls to action include learning about the Good Samaritan law; getting trained on the opioid overdose reversal medication Narcan (Naloxone); learning about and implementing safe medication storage and disposal; and having conversations with youth about the prevention of substance use.
The community is encouraged to display purple lights and gear throughout the month as a show of taking a stand against substance abuse.
Kent Goes Purple is a component fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law