Kids Escaping Drugs gears up for 'Walk for Kids' event

Funds to help combat substance use disorders in Western New York 

Kids Escaping Drugs (KED) announced its upcoming 25th “Walk for Kids,” to be held May 13 at South Park Lake. The event aims to raise awareness and funds to support adolescents and families “to live a life free from the disease of addiction through community outreach, education and early intervention.”

The walk will be a 1.5-mile loop through Buffalo Olmstead’s South Park Lake starting at 10 a.m. Participants can register individually or as a team, and can start fundraising as soon as they register. All funds raised will directly support KED and the “Face2Face” program. 

Organizers said, “Each year, our ‘Face2Face’ program delivers critically important information to over 40,000 community members. This year alone, they’ve provided over 64 interventions, 170 presentations, visited 70 schools across five counties, and have served over 20,000 individuals. 

“KED’s ‘Walk for Kids’ is open to everyone and is an opportunity for middle, high school and college students to come together in an effort to potentially support their peers and community. We encourage everyone to come out and participate in this fun and meaningful event.”

Registration for the walk is open. To register, visit www.ked.org or contact Dana McPhaden at [email protected].

Organizers said, “We also encourage participants to create their own team fundraising page to share with friends, family and coworkers.”