MADISON – Cooperation among a City of Madison department, nonprofit agency and numerous volunteers yielded camaraderie and funds to help people get and stay sober.

On Sept. 30, Partnership for a Drug-Free Community and Madison Fire & Rescue joined forces to promote awareness of substance abuse problems and raise funds for people who want help with the 2023 Pullin’ for Partnership Fire Truck Challenge.

Staged at Bob Jones High School, the event pitted 10-person teams competing for bragging rights, trophies and proof that they could pull a 46,000-pound fire truck for 100 feet with a rope.

This year’s teams were His Way; Rep. Dale Strong’s office; Madison County Sheriff’s Department; Gurley Volunteer Fire Department; Partnership’s staff, Board of Directors and volunteers; DIRECTV (three teams); and Huntsville Police Department.

Teams who won trophies were Huntsville Police Department – first place in Public Safety for the fastest time of 23.27 seconds (third consecutive year); His Way – first place for Community Team with fastest time, 27.62 seconds; Gurley Volunteer Fire Department – “Team Spirit;” and DIRECTV – “Largest Fundraiser.”

The truck pull “is our largest, annual community fundraiser,” Partnership’s incoming Executive Director Cheryl Russell said. “The event provides important revenue for us to continue our Ozzie Opioid Prevention Programs (Ozzie OPPs), a prevention curriculum developed for elementary, middle and high school students that teaches age-appropriate lessons about what opioids are, consequences of using opioids, how to make good choices and how to talk with adults about drugs.”

“Ozzie OPPS is the prevention and education arm of our Recovery Resource Hub. We also have a Youth Tobacco and Vaping program, based on a Stanford Medical School Curriculum designed for youth in grades 6-12 and focused on all aspects of tobacco, nicotine, electronic cigarettes and JUULs,” Russell said.

The ‘Hub’ provides an impartial one-stop shop where people with substance use disorder and their families can find help. Partnership’s staff provides free assessments and referrals to treatment programs,” Reeves said.

The truck pull coincided with National Recovery Month in September. A resources booth contained materials about Partnership programs. Carl Wilderson, Recovery Services Director, assisted anyone with questions.

“Our teams, donors, volunteers, staff and board members are the lifeblood of all we do. They’re the reason events are so successful,” Russell said. “By holding our Pullin’ for Partnership during National Recovery Month, we could talk about the impact of mental health and substance abuse in our community and throughout Alabama.”

Sponsors included DirecTV; Adtran; Geraldine Tibbs; Colsa; Excellance; Clear Cleaning Services Inc.; Huntsville Havoc; Excel Dental Care; Huntsville Podiatry; Dale Strong; Huntsville Housing Authority; Redstone Federal Credit Union; Insight Accounting; Karren Crowson; Infinity Orthotics, Prosthetics and Rehab Science; Bradford Health Services; Cheryl Russell; Sharon Tibbs; Don Webster; Tommie Batts; Ron Williams; and Karnita Golson-Garner.

Other individuals who served as sponsor were Gary Powell, Kenny Anderson, Paula Bingham, Mitch Cunningham, Kirk Giles, Gerry Norris, Arthur Orr, Rob Peavy, Missy Ming-Smith, Scotty Stewart, Teresa Taylor-Duncan, Kate Bowman, Mona Bowman, David Battle, Mary Reeves, Annetta Ngare, David Bailey, Brandy Williams, Dustin Spires, Dan Pickens, Jerry King, Shane Turley, Ernest L. Williams, Wendy Reeves, Jacqueline Carter, Carl Wilkerson, Will Culver, Dave Draper, Ed Soule, Kevin Turner and Mitch Cunningham.

In addition, Russell and Wilderson attended Huntsville City Council’s Sept 28th meeting to receive a proclamation recognizing Partnership’s 25 years of service.

For more information, call 256-539-7339, email Cheryl@thedrugfreepartnership.org or visit partnershipforadrug-freecommunity.org.