$110K+ Raised In Chesco To Combat Opioid Crisis

WEST CHESTER, PA — Hundreds of runners didn’t let the rain dampen their fun Saturday at this year’s Chester County Color 5K, in Exton Park.

Color blasters heralded the start of the Chester County Color 5K and color stations along the route doused participants with brightly colored cornstarch.

The run, initiated by Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichline in 2016, raises funds to combat the opioid and heroin crisis in Chester County.

“Events like the Color 5K are bittersweet,” Kichline said. “We are all here to enjoy the race and to raise awareness and money, but at the same time, we reflect on the senselessness of 103 beautiful lives lost to addiction in 2022, and the tremendous struggles of those who continue to battle substance use disorder.”

The event is expected to raise $110,000 thanks to generous sponsorship support, led by the Color 5K presenting sponsor John R. Gailey III and JoEllen Berger Charitable Fund.

The program provides 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week emergency room support for overdose survivors and their families at all hospitals in Chester County.

Over six years, the Color 5K raised more than $200,000 for the County’s Community Outreach Prevention and Education program which supports many aspects of substance use disorder, including focusing on the warm hand-off to treatment for those suffering from the disease of addiction

Commissioners Marian Moskowitz and Josh Maxwell commended Kichline’s efforts to battle the opioid and heroin crisis during her nine years as commissioner.
Kichline, who is serving her last year as a commissioner, led the county’s lawsuit efforts against opioid manufacturers.

These efforts eventually led to Chester County signing on to a national opioid settlement, receiving more than $19 million for the prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder.