10 years of Grand Rapids' drug needle exchange program: Why backers say it works

On a recent Thursday evening, a heroin addict stepped through a Heartside neighborhood door and did what some would have thought impossible in West Michigan.

He legally traded his dirty needles for a free batch of new syringes, a simple swap experts say reduces the spread of AIDS, hepatitis C and other diseases.

The Clean Works program at 54 S. Division Ave. in Grand Rapids has been in business just over 10 years, armed with evidence it is paying off.

“It works. It works on many levels,” said Tami VandenBerg, chairwoman of the Grand Rapids Red Project, the nonprofit organization that oversees the program. It is marking its 10th anniversary with a 6:30 p.m. reception Saturday at the Pyramid Scheme in downtown Grand Rapids.

When Grand Rapids Mayor John Logie proposed a needle exchange in 1997, about 25 percent of those living with AIDS or the HIV virus in Kent County contracted it from injection drug use.

That figure has plummeted to about 5 percent, a reduction VandenBerg attributes primarily to needle exchanges. Part of the drop may be due to the death of some those injection users counted in the 1997 numbers.

www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/06/10_years_of_grand_rapids_drug.html

Girls on the Run Teaches Confidence in Battle Creek

Since early March, young girls involved in Girls on the Run trained and prepared not only for Thursday night's 5K run through Binder Park Zoo, but for life in general.

"It basically empowers girls with a greater sense of self-awareness and achievement, a sense of community and just becoming a strong, confident young woman," council director Carrie Wilson said.

The race ended with high-fives, camera flashes and smiles from participants and spectators alike. For first-year coach of the St. Joe team, Jodee Cape, it was easy to see how much the girls have enjoyed their journey.

"The girls absolutely love it," Cape said. "On our last day, we told them, 'Tuesday is the party and Thursday is the run,' and they were all really bummed out because they just enjoyed it so much."

www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20110603/NEWS01/106030309/Running-purpose