ASHEBORO, N.C. — Community Hope Alliance will hold its fourth annual “Walk a Mile in Our Shoes” on Saturday to raise awareness about the opioid crisis and support people struggling with substance abuse.
The walk, scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., will begin at the Randolph County Courthouse on East Salisbury Street, proceed to the Courier-Tribune building and return — a total of 1 mile.
CHA, a nonprofit harm reduction organization, works to prevent substance abuse and promote recovery through education, resources and community support.
Why the event matters
The walk was created in 2017 as the opioid epidemic swept through Randolph County. It was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the crisis has only worsened.
Fatal overdoses in Randolph County increased 47 percent from 2019 to 2020, according to Randolph County EMS data. So far in 2021, the county has responded to 175 overdoses, with 15 fatal. Accidental overdoses involving illegal drugs account for 91 percent of those cases.
Kelly Link, CHA’s co-founder and executive director, said community support is crucial. “We try to teach the community to treat drug users as humans, love and respect them,” she said. “Treating them as worthless only makes them feel worse and drives them to use more.”
What to expect
The event will feature free pizza, desserts and cold drinks, along with free Narcan kits and training. CHA will host an open mic for attendees to share personal stories.
The organization will hold a bake sale and sell t-shirts, necklaces and a book as fundraisers to support its syringe exchange and other community programs.
In 2020, CHA distributed 1,329 naloxone kits and reported 647 overdose reversals.
You can find the event on Facebook and you can donate to CHA through PayPal.
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