A free community presentation, “Prevention Starts With All: The Chris Herren Story,” will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Southmont High School Auditorium.
The event is presented by the Montgomery County Community Foundation, Hoosier Heartland State Bank, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Taylor, Chadd, Minnette, Schneider & Clutter, P.C., the Southmont School Board, and Southmont Schools.
“We believe this message of addiction and recovery, and the overarching themes contained in Chris Herren’s presentation, are incredibly important for our local Montgomery County community to hear first-hand,” said Dr. Shawn Greiner, superintendent of Southmont Schools.
In this inspiring presentation, former NBA player Chris Herren will share his journey navigating the disease of addiction and the road to recovery, and his mission to make a difference. Herren, a basketball legend from Fall River, Massachusetts, was an All-American, broke scoring records, and was recruited by the nation’s top colleges. Herren realized his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA when he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1999 and then traded to his hometown team, the Boston Celtics, before losing his career and almost his family to the disease of addiction.
With the unwavering support of his of his family and friends, Herren has been sober since Aug. 1, 2008, and he now shares his story with the goal of making a positive difference in the lives of others.
“We at Southmont Schools have also made this difficult, but necessary, conversation a priority in the health and wellness education of our students. Southmont Jr.-Sr. High School students will additionally attend a special convocation during the school day with Mr. Herren, which will address tough topics like addiction, substance abuse, peer pressure, and bullying,” Greiner said.
Herren’s recovery journey has been documented in the bestselling memoir, “Basketball Junkie,” the Emmy-nominated ESPN Films documentary, “Unguarded,” and in countless local, national and international stories by The New York Times, The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated, among others. Through Herren Talks, Herren has spoken to over 1 million students and community members, sparking honest discussions about substance use disorder and wellness.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. Wednesday with the presentation beginning at 7 p.m. Attendees may enter the school through the auditorium entrance on the east side of the school, or the Bob J. Tandy entrance to the south.
