Alachua County Health Promotion and Wellness Coalition

The Gainesville Housing Authority is hosting a Community Kickback this Saturday, July 27th, at Eastwood Meadows Apartments. Enjoy the grand opening celebration of the newly renovated basketball courts with free food and plenty of activities for everyone!

The 6th Annual Run for Your Life 5K Color Run is getting closer!

Join us to have fun with family and friends while raising awareness about substance misuse and fundraising for our community non-profit mission. Register to save your spot today using the link below, we can't wait to see you there!

2024 — Run for Your Life 5K — Run for Your Life 5K 874 SE 4 St, Gainesville, FL 32601, USA - Run for Your Life 5KColor Fun Run Bring your family… - September 22, 2024

Registration for the 6th Annual Run for Your Life 5K Color Run is officially open!!

The 5K Color Run will be on Sunday, September 22nd at Depot Park in Gainesville. There are six color stations, breakfast is included, and your furry friends are welcome!

We can't wait to see everyone at Depot Park again this year, follow the links below to register through Race Roster or Eventbrite.

Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/6th-annual-run-for-your-life-5k-tickets-904959156197?aff=oddtdtcreator

Race Roster:
https://raceroster.com/events/2024/88518/run-for-your-life-5k

April was a busy month for the HPW Coalition!

On April 17th, HPW hosted a Town Hall at Gainesville High School for both youth and families. At Town Hall, there was a personal testimonial from an individual in recovery, free parent toolkits, a community fair, and plenty of other resources. We're grateful for our community partners who tabled and volunteered at the event (Hanley Foundation, To***co Free Alachua, Suwannee AHEC, Planned Parenthood, CDS Family and Behavioral Health Services).

On April 26th, 27th, and 28th, HPW also partnered with the Alachua County Sheriff's Office and Alachua Police Department to host DEA Drug (Medication) Take Back Days to safely dispose of prescription medication from the community. We're grateful for our hosting sites at the Senior Recreation Center (Eldercare), Trinity United Methodist Church, and Alachua CVS! In total, 115 lbs were collected from the community. We would also like to thank the UF College of Pharmacy students for joining us as volunteers!

Do you have any old or unwanted medicine to throw away? Join us for a Medication Take Back Day this weekend! Stop by the CVS in Alachua to drop off your medication on Saturday, April 27th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. This collection site is free, anonymous, and open to the public.

**Allowed medication includes pills, liquids, patches, etc. Currently unable to accept sharps (needles) and aerosols such as inhalers.**

Do you have any old or unwanted medicine to throw away? Join us for a Medication Take Back Day this weekend! Stop by the Senior Recreation Center in Gainesville to drop off your medication on Friday, April 26th from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. This collection site is free, anonymous, and open to the public.

**Allowed medication includes pills, liquids, patches, etc. Currently unable to accept sharps (needles) and aerosols such as inhalers.**

Do you have any old or unwanted medications at home? Looking for a safe way to throw them out? Drop them off anonymously and for free at the Medication Take Back Day this April!

The HPW Coalition is hosting three collection sites: CVS in Alachua (4/27), Senior Recreation Center (4/26) and Trinity United Methodist Church (4/28).

Find your nearest collection site below:

https://www.dea.gov/takebackday -locator

Join the community on Wednesday, April 17th at Gainesville High School to address the growing concerns around substance misuse and mental health for youth and families. Learn from those with lived experience at this family-friendly event. There will also be giveaways, raffle prizes, and a free dinner!

Want to keep up with HPW Coalition's latest programs and events? The 1st Quarterly Newsletter is now available! Click the link below to learn about upcoming activities this spring:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAF6vxRtFTU/3JyHEgPfjZk2JbejBAWyJQ/view?utm_content=DAF6vxRtFTU&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor

February is Heart Health Awareness Month! Are you taking steps to ensure your heart health?

Did you know:
- Quitting smoking lowers your chances of 12 different cancers
- Within 1 to 2 years, your risk of a heart attack drops by half
- Minutes after your last cigarette, your heart rate and blood pressure begin to lower
- Quitting can lead to a steadier heart rhythm and overall improved circulation

Visit CDC's Video on Cessation to learn more:
https://buff.ly/4bzWPIh

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. It's more common than we think, about 1 in 3 teenagers will experience some form of dating abuse. Programs such as OneLove and LoveIsRespect actively work to educate about the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships as well as provide resources for support. This Valentine's Day, celebrate your relationships but take a moment to check in on others who may be struggling.

Follow the resources below to learn more and support others:
https://buff.ly/3OEuSW8
https://buff.ly/3w95fWP

It's amazing how quickly time flies! At HPW, our mission for the past ten years has been to educate, raise awareness, and prevent youth substance use while improving mental health. Now that we're starting the new year 2024, let's have a Throwback Thursday to celebrate one of the best days of 2023: The 5th Annual Run for Your Life 5K Color Run at Depot Park!

The annual 5K Color Run's overall goal is to create a fun, family-friendly event for everyone, including pets! We want to make it a memorable day that brings the community together and creates some awesome memories for families and friends.

Working in prevention, we usually don't know how far our efforts reach but at the 5K Color Run, we can directly see the impact our work has on families and realize the reach of our partnerships with so many local agencies and volunteers joining us to make it all possible.

Let's make 2024 an even better year!

Keep your eye peeled for our new RTS bus wrap! Installed earlier this month, our new drinking and driving campaign will run through the University of Florida campus during the holiday season as part of December's Impaired Driving Prevention Month.

As we wrap up 2023, the HPW Coalition is thrilled the recognize this year's achievements as well as celebrate 10 years in the community! Founded in 2013, the HPW Coalition has worked to support youth and families for a decade. Thank you to everyone who joined in the celebration and we look forward to 2024!

If you would like to read our 2023 Annual Report, use the link below!

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFxhHQBbYk/_6ltWRHQrRz4_hWNfRtUXg/view?utm_content=DAFxhHQBbYk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor

Support the youth and families in your community by donating to HPW today!

Big or small, any donation is appreciated to help us continue our mission! We have several donation levels and each one has a sizable impact on youth in Alachua County.

Donate Here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=VH9XL6RKNW47G

It's Giving Tuesday!!

Support the youth and families in your community by donating to HPW today. We're currently hosting a Facebook Fundraiser but you can also conveniently donate to PayPal below.

Big or small, any donation is appreciated to help us continue our mission! We have a number of donation levels and each one has a sizable impact on youth in Alachua County.

Donate Here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=VH9XL6RKNW47G

It's Red Ribbon Week!

To celebrate the week and bring attention to the mission of keeping kids drug-free, HPW had a "Sock It to Drugs" raffle at Oak View Middle School. There were some awesome crazy sock entries and prizes for each grade. We're excited to keep engaging youth with fun competitions!

Do you have prescription drugs cluttering up the medicine cabinet? Come to Hitchcock's Markets on Florida-Georgia game day to dispose of your medications anonymously, safely, and for free!

By dropping off old medication, you're helping us keep the water supply clean and prevent prescription drug misuse, even among children and pets!

Alachua County Health Promotion and Wellness Coalition Our mission is to prevent substance use, enhance wellness and educate the community

https://youtu.be/BtgmBJ8fveU?feature=shared

WJCB TV20 joined us at the Run for Your Life 5K Color Run! We're glad to see the awareness of substance use growing in our community with events like the 5k.

The run to end substance abuse 5K took place at Depot Park Organizers of the 5K hope to run to the finish line of ending substance abuse, no matter how many miles it may take. STORY: https://www.wcjb.com/2023/09/24/...

The 5th Annual Run for Your Life 5K Color Run was a success! We're so grateful the community came out to join us at Depot Park, there was plenty of color, pets, and families. With our largest number of participants yet, we can't wait to continue growing and host an even better 5K Color Run next year!

We're days away from the 5th Annual Run for Your Life 5K Color Run at Depot Park, Gainesville on Sunday, September 24th!! It's a great weekend event for friends and family (including the furry ones!) with free breakfast, a warm-up session, medals, and raffle prizes (Escapology game, Gainesville Health and Fitness memberships, and movie night gift basket). There are six color stations, a community fair with ten local organizations, and some Instagram-worthy photos!

With only a few days left to sign up, don't miss out on discounts for groups of 4 or more (10%) and 8 or more (15%)! Prices for youth, students, and children are also discounted!

Race Roster:
https://raceroster.com/events/2023/74087/run-for-your-life-5k

Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/5th-annual-run-for-your-life-5k-tickets-637910566677

Today is the last day of Early Bird pricing for the Run for Your Life 5K!! Don't forget to register today, we can't wait to see you next weekend!

2023 — Run for Your Life 5K — Run for Your Life 5K 874 SE 4 St, Gainesville, FL 32601, USA - Run for Your Life 5KColor Fun Run Bring your family… - September 24, 2023

UF Health Florida Recovery Center is hosting their 4th Annual Run 4 Recovery 5K free to the public on Saturday, September 30th! Their goal is to raise awareness of substance use disorders and celebrate those in recovery. It will take place at Depot Park in Gainesville, FL and everyone is welcome!

To register, you can follow the link below:

https://floridarecoverycenter.ufhealth.org/2023/06/21/run-4-recovery-5k/

We're excited to share that Gainesville Sun has written an article about our upcoming Run for Your Life 5K Color Run, follow the link to learn more!

https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/guardian/2023/09/04/run-for-your-life-5k-color-run-to-be-held-in-gainesville-on-sept-24/70549002007/

Are you looking for a family-friendly, fun weekend event this September? On September 24th, HPW Coalition is hosting a 5K Color Run at Depot Park, Gainesville, that includes raffle prizes, free breakfast, a warm-up session, a community fair, and more! The 5th Annual Run for Your Life 5K Color Run is coming up soon, visit the link below to register and save your spot!

https://raceroster.com/events/2023/74087/run-for-your-life-5k

Alachua County Health Promotion and Wellness Coalition Our mission is to prevent substance use, enhance wellness and educate the community

We've had plenty of furry friends join us at the 5K over the years, don't forget to bring yours this year!

Registration is open today!

https://raceroster.com/.../2023/74087/run-for-your-life-5k

The HPW Coalition attended CADCA's Mid-Year Training Institute in Dallas, Texas! We had the opportunity to meet others in the substance use prevention field, gain new educational tools, and learn more about emerging drug trends in our communities. We're looking forward to CADCA's Annual Leadership Forum next year!

The 5th Annual Run for Your Life 5K Color Run is Sunday, September 24th!! It's coming up soon, visit the link below to register and save your spot!

https://raceroster.com/events/2023/74087/run-for-your-life-5k

Alachua County Health Promotion and Wellness Coalition Our mission is to prevent substance use, enhance wellness and educate the community

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFkZk9aiX8/6c5KmGHW2n2h1754HFt0Vg/view

HPW Coalition's 2nd Quarterly Newsletter!

2nd Quarterly Newsletter 2022 Check out this A4 designed by HPW.

The HPW Coalition's 2nd Quarterly Meeting is coming up soon next Wednesday, June 28th at 10:00 am! Join us by Zoom using the link below:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82969090585?pwd=SDIzNTB2aVIvckZkY1NQMFlKNHlMdz09