Drug Facts Week returns in January

ANDREW HARP

ANDREW.HARP@NEWSANDTRIBUNE.COM

CLARK COUNTY — The annual Drug Facts Week is back again in January for its ninth year in Clark County.

Clark County Cares is a group in the community interested in the subject of substance addiction and recovery. The group is comprised of volunteers and is neither a for- or non-profit organization. Members organize the week of events.

Co-founder Carolyn King said this organization of stakeholders was created from an initial meeting 10 years ago at a local church in which residents came together to discuss how they were personally affected by drug addiction. She had lost a granddaughter to substance abuse.

“People throughout the community were losing people to heroin at that time,” King said.

Drug Facts Week 2025 is from Jan. 20 to 26. Each day features a different fun and informational event for Clark County residents interested in learning more about these subjects.

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“It benefits the community as a whole,” King said.

The activities per week vary between years, but the schedule this year is:

• Jan. 20: Kickoff panel, 6 p.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

• Jan. 21: Law and order discussion, 6 p.m., Jeffersonville Police Department headquarters • Jan. 22: Business luncheon and job fair, 11:30 a.m., Mark Fetter Center

• Jan. 23: Keynote speaker Jesse Harless, 6 p.m., Norton Clark Hospital

• Jan. 24: Lip sync battle hosted by Thrive RCO, 6 p.m. Ivy Tech Community College

• Jan. 25: Family day, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., SpringHill Envision Center

• Jan. 26: Candlelight vigil, 5:30 p.m., base of the Big Four Bridge in Jeffersonville King said there was stigma with addiction and recovery that the group and event aimed to change. She said she feels those affected by addiction are treated less harshly, and institutions like law enforcement, the courts and treatment centers are more understanding.

Other steps in the community include more agencies have also been equipping themselves with Narcan to stop drug overdoses, the creation of a few different problem-solving courts in the local judicial system and organizations working in the jail system to help people with recovery.

One of these organizations is Thrive Recovery Community Organization, created by Executive Director Phil Stucky, who is a part of Clark County Cares. For about a year now, Thrive has facilitated the Integrated Re-entry and Correctional Support program at the Clark County Jail.

Stucky said the coalition still meets nearly every Monday to discuss what the gaps and holes might be for those experiencing drug addiction.

Drug Fact Week kicks off, as usual, with a panel of several local leaders who talk and answer questions from the audience as to the current situation of substance abuse in the county.

Tuesday is law enforcemen t da y i n wh i c h organizations, including Thrive and LifeSpring, talk about their programs in the jail.

Stucky said Wednesday will be a job fair, which he said is a different type of event than they’ve done in the past on that day.

On Thursday, they’ve brought in Jesse Harless to be the keynote speaker. Harless is a “coach, trainer and professional facilitator in the employee wellness, addiction recovery and mental health space,” according to his website.

Friday is a lip sync battle, which Stucky said was a particularly popular event last year. Saturday is then family day, and the week concludes with a prayer vigil at the Big Four Bridge on Sunday.

The group was able to procure funds for the program through a few different avenues, including donations from the Town of Clarksville and the City of Jeffersonville. King said that their national speakers are typically paid for their appearances.

Stucky also said they want to try to at least record if not livestream the events on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

“If they can’t get to it, at least they know what’s going on,” Stucky said.

Events during the week are free, but the events happening on Jan. 22 and 23 do need RSVPs. Stucky said a QR code will be posted to their Facebook page for people to scan and then RSVP.

King said a big area that needs to be addressed is prevention of substance abuse by providing information to younger people.

“The core thing is stopping deaths and giving hope to people,” King said.

Community members attend the State of the State Panel on Monday, the first day of the 2024 Drug Facts Week at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Jeffersonville. The Jeffersonville City Council this week approved $10,000 for the Drug Facts Week in January, 2025.

Andrew Harp | News and Tribune