Healthy Communities of Clinton County is expanding free fitness, tobacco cessation, mental health and family support programs this spring, with local leaders expecting hundreds of residents to take part in efforts that range from Zumba classes to a mental health 5K and a growing community garden.
Speaking on WILO’s Party Line, Chris Ward, director of peer recovery at Healthy Communities, said the coalition’s growing slate of services is designed to meet residents “where they are,” from people trying to quit smoking to parents in recovery and families facing food insecurity. He credited Clinton County’s collaborative approach — including city and county government, courts and community partners — with making it possible to “wrap around” residents with practical help and long-term recovery support.
“Everyone works together for the same vision,” Ward said. “I think that’s highly unique to Clinton County and I’m proud of it.”
Free fitness classes for all levels
Ward said fitness has become a key part of his own recovery and that Healthy Communities now offers free entry-level classes that are open to all fitness levels. On Mondays, the Trinity Hope Center hosts free Zumba from 4 to 4:30 p.m., and on Thursdays it offers “pound” classes that participants can even do seated if needed.
“These are classes of all fitness levels,” Ward said. “I have an uncontrollable gag reflex at the thought of cardio and I can do these things,” he joked, adding that instructor Tammy Cogert “turns into a unicorn” when the music starts.
Tobacco cessation: “Find your pot of gold”
Ward highlighted Healthy Communities’ tobacco prevention and cessation work, which connects local residents to the statewide Indiana Quit Now program. He said smokers who enroll and qualify can receive a free four‑week combination pack of nicotine replacement products to help them quit.
Ward used a handout to underscore the financial cost of smoking, noting that one pack a day at roughly $11 adds up to more than $4,000 a year — money he compared to “thirteen hundred gallons of gas, three to five months of groceries for a family of four, or a literal vacation for a family of four.” He described quitting as “finding your pot of gold,” emphasizing that the goal is support, not judgment, for people who may smoke one, two or more packs a day.
Mental health 5K and kids run
Healthy Communities’ annual mental health 5K has become “a crown jewel” for the coalition, Ward said, with organizers expecting about 700 participants this year at Prairie Creek Park in Frankfort. The event, themed “I wanna taco ’bout mental health,” features taco‑shaped medals and a new kids run that begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by the 5K walk/run at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 9.
Registration is $5, which Ward called “the cheapest 5K you’re going to find,” with the fee primarily covering medals. “Word on the street says there might be some tacos in the works,” he added.
Support for mothers and recovery
Ward said Healthy Communities also offers extensive support for mothers and families through programs led by staff member Libby Smith. The coalition provides diapers, wipes, formula and other supplies, and Smith coordinates “Mommy Time,” a group for new mothers who are in recovery or striving to be.
“She has a heart for kids, that’s for sure,” Ward said, describing Smith as “a servant through and through” who “will go the extra mile for anyone.” He said the group helps mothers navigate the adversity of early parenthood while maintaining sobriety and mental wellness.
“The magic sauce” of recovery
Drawing on his own experience, Ward said successful recovery requires embracing discomfort and working through unresolved trauma rather than seeking constant comfort. “Change will not come from comfort,” he said. “It requires discomfort. You have to have it.”
Ward said many of the people he serves began using drugs very young, sometimes even with family members, which can stunt emotional development and make adult decision‑making more difficult. “Our intellectual maturation process ceases at the time we start abusing substances,” he said. He described therapy and trauma work as essential to long‑term change: “There has to be a process associated with getting rid of that poison…then everything else just seems to start to fall in place.”
Wraparound help and community garden
Ward emphasized that Healthy Communities uses “systems of care navigators” to help people stabilize basic needs such as housing, food and transportation before expecting progress in recovery. “People like me can’t help you if you’re in active addiction and you don’t know where you’re going to sleep or get your next meal,” he said.
The coalition also operates a community garden behind its office at 1234 Rossville Avenue in Frankfort, where new raised beds are being assembled this spring. Staff and volunteers tend the garden, harvest vegetables and place them in baskets in the lobby for residents who may be experiencing food insecurity. “They can come in, they can grab all these fruits and vegetables right there,” Ward said.
Residents can learn more about programs, events and classes by visiting Healthy Communities’ Facebook page, stopping by the office at 1234 Rossville Avenue or calling 765‑659‑6063.
