October 22, 2004
Red Ribbon Week events include addiction speaker, commemorative race
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -Red Ribbon Week, the annual nationwide campaign promoting drug- and alcohol-abuse awareness, will be observed at Purdue with the annual Jay Severson Memorial Walk/Run and an athlete who will speak about overcoming his own addiction.
The race, which begins at 9 a.m., Saturday (Oct. 30) on the west side of Wiley Hall on Intramural Drive, honors a graduate student and Wiley Hall counselor who was killed by another student. Jay Severson, who died in 1996, had found drugs in the student's residence hall room.
"This race is in memory of a student counselor who did his job and is a reminder of what can happen when people use drugs and go down the wrong path," said Denton Sederquist, Wiley Hall residential life manager.
On the night before the run, the founder of the non-profit organization Racing for Recovery, will offer positive alternatives to those currently battling addictions. Todd Crandell, who has been sober since 1993, has devoted his energy to triathlons, including global Ironman triathlons that consist of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon run.
Crandall's talk at 7 p.m. in the Stewart Center's Loeb Theater is free and open to the public.
"The mission of Racing for Recovery is to prevent all forms of substance abuse and to provide positive alternatives for those currently battling addictions by encouraging a lifestyle of fitness and health through 5k run/walk events across the nation," Crandell said.
Entry fee for the race is $10, with all proceeds to benefit the Jay Severson Memorial Fund, which provides money for education, training and counseling for the prevention of drug abuse.
Preregistration for the race before Oct. 25 will guarantee the participant a T-shirt, but walk-up registration will also be available starting at 8:30 a.m. on race day.
The event, sponsored by University Residences, will start and end in front of Wiley Hall, 500 N. Intramural Drive. Streets will remain open to vehicle traffic throughout the race.
Entry forms are available at any residence hall front office or online under the heading "What's New".
Those who do not wish to participate in the race but who would like to contribute to the fund can send checks to 500 N. Intramural Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47906. Make checks payable to the Purdue Foundation, with Jay Severson Memorial Fund written on the memo line. For more information, contact Sederquist at (765) 494-2174, sederquist@purdue.edu.
Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, news.writer@purdue.edu
Source: Denton Sederquist, (765) 494-2174, sederquist@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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