New Carlisle Sports and Fitness will host a 5K run on October 24, raising awareness and some proceeds for Cole’s Warriors, the locally-founded non-profit that promotes drug abuse prevention among teens and young adults.
This will be the third 5K held at New Carlisle Sports and Fitness, with each event focusing on a specific non-profit organization. This year, Cole’s Warriors was selected after New Carlisle Sports and Fitness owner Dr. Ashok Devatha’s son heard Danielle Smoot speak at his high school last year.
Smoot, the founder and Executive Director of Cole’s Warriors, created the organization after losing her son Cole to an accidental opioid overdose several years back. Since then, the group has become a fixture at many county high schools, enrolling teens in voluntary drug tests, prevention programs, and education on the opioid epidemic.
Smoot said she was incredibly honored to have Cole’s Warriors chosen as the highlight of this year’s 5K, and hopes that it will show people the potential of their own individual power.
“We are so honored—it means so much to make an impact on the youth. It means so much to me that Dr. Devatha’s son not only listened, but heard, and that we’re one step closer to making a change and an impact,” Smoot said.
“That young man is taking the resources he has available and impacting his community. Each person has influence in their life and can do something positive—each person is capable of doing so much good,” she added.
Smoot said that Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly will bring the mobile drug take-back van to the 5K event, noting that this service is much needed in New Carlisle, as the city does not have a permanent drug drop-off location. Cole’s Warriors educates individuals on the potential dangers of keeping unwanted or unused medication in the home, as it can become a target for drug abusers or curious younger family members. Anyone may stop by the 5K on October 24 to dispose of unused medications.
Justin Williams of New Carlisle Sports and Fitness said that they started the 5K events last year, with proceeds and awareness raised for the Arthritis Foundation and military-based charities. Williams said he believed it was important to highlight Cole’s Warriors this year in the face of the growing prescription drug abuse epidemic, noting that the organization was close to his own heart, as he had attended school with Cole Smoot. Williams said he worked in a pharmacy for several months and saw firsthand the symptoms of prescription drug abuse, citing the agitation and negative reactions from those who could not obtain their prescriptions soon enough.
“Cole’s Warriors is something I’ve always personally liked, and I knew Cole and had to see the impact and devastation it had on his family and the community,” Williams said.
Participants may still register for the 5K by calling New Carlisle Sports and Fitness at 846-1000 or by visiting www.keysports.net. For more information, contact Justin Williams by calling the Sports and Fitness Center.
