Page 51 - October 2019 FOP

A HERO ride
Chicago Police Officer’s bike trip raises awareness for opioid epidemic
n BY ERIKA WURST
On the second anniversary of her brother’s death, Chicago Police Officer Kim Conte wasn’t sitting in a grief sup- port group, where many had grown ac- customed to seeing her.
Instead of shedding tears, Conte was pouring sweat as she pedaled 300 miles to Iowa and back to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic, which took the life of her 32-year-old brother, Joey Conte.
Raising funds for the HERO (Heroin Epidemic Relief Organization) Founda- tion is Conte’s way of fighting a battle her brother lost.
Last year, after cycling 100 miles on the anniversary of Joey’s death, Conte raised $3,000. This year, she smashed her goal and tripled her miles, raising more than $5,000.
But more important than the money, she said, is the awareness she’s bringing to the cause. “If you need help and you have an addiction, there are places like the HERO Foundation,” Conte said.
As a nonprofit, the organization has provided the grieving sister with hours of free counseling and support groups. Now, she proudly holds a seat on the HERO Foundation’s board.
“Instead of getting sad about his an- niversary, now I get excited about some- thing I am able to achieve,” Conte said.
And although she wasn’t expecting the fanfare that met her when she arrived back at CPD headquarters on Sept. 21, it was more than welcome.
“I didn’t tell a lot of people about the ride, so it was really sweet,” she said of the greeting she received from news channels and fellow officers. “But I didn’t do it for the fanfare.”
In addition to raising awareness about the opioid epidemic outside the depart- ment, she also wants officers to look within and think about what they can do individually to help those in crisis.
“Narcan training will be mandatory
for all officers sooner or later, and for me, I believe it’s important to be well-trained on it because you’re saving someone’s family member. I’m human. I had a brother who was struggling. But after the Narcan is used, we need to know how to get them help,” she explained.
Next year, Conte won’t be upping the ante on her bike. Instead, she’s hoping to do a 5K in an effort to continue spread- ing her mission’s goal.
“This is how I cope with the loss of my brother,” she said. “I’ll keep fighting for those who lost their battles and those who are still struggling.”
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