Saturday fitness fundraiser to assist with opioid recovery

♦ It will cost $20 to join in at the CrossFit Chariot gym.

LivingProof Recovery and CrossFit Chariot will be teaming up for a fundraiser Saturday to help provide services for individuals in recovery from opioid addiction.

“We’re really excited,” said Claudia Hamilton, director of LivingProof Recovery. Hamilton said CrossFit classes are already offered weekly at LivingProof, and that it can be especially needed for individuals who might turn to overeating during their recovery process.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to add equipment to LivingProof’s workout area and help finance gym memberships for those in recovery from addiction.

LivingProof, 408 Shorter Ave., is a nonprofit organization that assists individuals with long-term recovery needs through advocacy, training, peer support and spiritual guidance.

The Workout of the Day — or WOD — for Recovery event will run from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in Rome, and organizers are asking for a $20 donation to participate. T-shirts will also be available for $20. The fund- raiser will be held at the CrossFit Chariot gym at 15 N. Hanks St.

The workout of the day will be “possible seizure,” consisting of a variety of CrossFit sets appropriate for participants of all fitness levels.

“Recovery isn’t just meetings, it’s about getting the whole body well,” Hamilton said.

Alex Routt, owner of CrossFit Chariot, sees the results of opioid addiction first hand on a daily bases in his work as a firefighter.

“In America right now, the opioid situation is a real epidemic,” Routt said. “If you’re not hooked on it, someone you know or love is.”

There will also be an educational seminar on the drug NARCAN, which is used in the reversal of opioid overdose, and the importance of overdose prevention. Rome and Floyd County first responders already carry NARCAN and have been trained to administer the drug. Routt said he

has personally administered NARCAN and sees at least one opioid case on every shift as a firefighter.

NARCAN seminar speakers will include Vice President of Floyd Against Drugs Ansley Silvers and anesthesiologist Jodi Kuhlman.

Recently, Rome and Floyd County joined a class action lawsuit against a dozen or so top opioid manufacturers, seeking to recoup costs of dealing with local addictions they call epidemic, while the Floyd County Commission took steps to establish a community board to address the local problems of opioid addiction.

For more information about Saturday’s event, call CrossFit Chariot at 706-5284545 or LivingProof Recovery at 706-204-8710.