Bloomingdale Walk to Raise Funds for Freddy's Foundation

She can’t bring her brother back. But Jeanine Ivone is hoping her efforts can save someone else’s brother.

In January 2011, the Bloomingdale East resident formed a nonprofit foundation in honor of her brother, Freddy, called Freddy’s Foundation. And now she is embarking on the second fundraiser for the foundation, a 5K Walk for Recovery set for Saturday, March 31 along Bloomingdale Avenue.

Ivone said she and her two siblings, including her older brother, Freddy, grew up in a relatively normal home.

“We had our dysfunctions, the same as any family,” said Ivone. “But we had two parents and we all ate dinner together.”

She can’t explain why her older brother turned to drugs. But, when he did, he quickly became addicted. By 1989, he was living on the streets, doing odd jobs to support his crack habit.

But in 1993, he checked into a residential treatment facility in Fort Lauderdale called Faith Farm Ministries and graduated from the center the next year at the age of 36.

“He never touched crack again,” said Ivone. “We were so proud of him.”

But the demons that drove Freddy to drugs in the first place continued to torment him. Three years ago, while living on his boat in Key Largo, he killed himself. He was just 51 years old.

His death still haunts his sister who wonders if there’s more she could have done to prevent his death.

“We were hugely close. It’s a terrible thing to lose someone you love like that, the most difficult thing ever,” she said.

“And then I realized that I could have lost him back in 1993 when he was addicted to drugs," she said. "He was living a dangerous, destructive life. But, because he got help, he was with us for 15 more years. And I have to be grateful for those years.”

She decided to start the foundation to raise funds to send others who can’t afford it to Florida residential treatment for drug addictions.

“My ultimate goal is to save somebody’s life," she said, noting that it costs $27,000 to send someone to treatment. Last year's walk collected about 20 percent of those funds.

But Ivone emphasized she can’t do it alone.

“I need walkers willing to wear the Freddy’s Foundation T-shirt and get out there and walk March 31,” she said.  

The walk will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the northwest corner of Bloomingdale Avenue and Lithia-Pincrest Road, proceed up Bloomingdale to Bell Shoals Road, cross Bloomingdale and then head back in the opposite direction to Lithia-Pinecrest, a total of 3.1 miles.

The registration fee to join the walk is $25 and each participant will receive a T-shirt, water, granola bar and lanyard with a button declaring “I walked the walk.” Walkers also are asked to have family and friends sponsor them with pledges. Pledges can be turned in the day of the walk or mailed after.

Prizes include a $25 Subway gift card for the walker who finishes first, the walker who finishes last and the walker who collects the most pledges.

For more information or to register for the walk, visit freddysfoundation.org or contact Ivone at freddysfoundation@hotmail.com.