LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — It’s year nine of the Second Chance 5K which is dedicated to celebrating people recovering from substance addiction, and honoring the lives of those lost.
Those who complete the five-kilometer journey receive a medal bearing a heart made up of the number two which represents the second chance that founders like Amy Schaluder advocate for. She and her co-founders lost family members to overdoses.
“We got together and we really wanted to turn our pain into purpose and create this event where it’s really full of hope and healing and connection for the community,” Schlauder said.
The hope and healing go beyond Saturday morning’s run— the end of the race is just the beginning of its impact. All the money raised by the Second Chance 5K goes to recovery programs in the Las Vegas valley that help people battle addiction.
Terry Olsen is with one of those organizations– Changes Parent Support Network.
“It gives me hope,” Olsen said. “It makes me know that there’s resources for those that are still here. That their lives matter.”
Helping them get a second chance — the namesake of the 5K. Guiseppe Mandell, who took part in the 5K, got his second chance nearly six years ago. He’s in recovery and is dedicated to helping others through their struggle.
“It’s everything, erasing stigma, getting together at a big event like that where everyone’s happy and they’re working together to better the solution,” Mandell said. “Number one cause of death, 18-49 right now.”
Erasing the stigma around addiction is one of the key goals of the 5K. Part of the course shows the photos of people the community lost to addiction throughout the valley.
“I think it’s so important to realize that those people were so much more than how they died,” Schlauder said. “And the stigma behind addiction is these people just need help and get support, and that’s what we’re all here for. It’s not a moral failing. It’s a health crisis, and that’s what we believe and we’re focusing on.”
