Yough teacher uses love of running to raise money for drug prevention

A Yough High School teacher who recently ran in the New York City Marathon has not only used her sport to stay healthy, but to raise money for drug prevention programs — a cause that hits home for her.

Jessica George, 44, of Unity began running in 2017 as a way of coping with the grief of losing her brother, Christopher Stewart of Greensburg, who died of a drug overdose Dec. 5, 2016, at age 31.

“Dealing with grief and feelings of guilt was difficult for all of us. In addition to the mental and physical benefits, running helped me to raise awareness for drug issues and hopefully inspire my students to make healthy choices for their lives,” said George, who has taught at Yough for 18 years.

George, a single mother of two young daughters, has not been a runner all her life. The Hempfield Area graduate said she started running when a trainer at Rusnock Sports Performance & Fitness gym in Unity invited her on weekly trail runs. She found the challenge of running and time spent outdoors therapeutic, she said.

She began to increase her mileage, from a modest 1-mile run, to 3 miles, then 3.1-mile races, 6.2-mile races, then half-marathons and marathons.

“Eventually, it became a way for me to connect with others who had dealt with loss due to addiction,” George said. “I met a lot of people through social media who dealt with the same loss.”

As she prepared for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon and the Chicago Marathon, both in 2023, she raised more than $2,600 in memory of her brother for Natural High of La Jolla, Calif. The nonprofit focuses on drug prevention among youth. The organization says it engages with influencers, educators and peer groups to help young people discover core activities in their lives to uplift, inspire and motivate them — to find their “natural high” rather than using alcohol or drugs.

To raise the money, George said, she did stories and posts on social media, documenting her brother’s story. She sought donations representing mileage plans for training. When she ran 18 miles in a weekend, she asked for $18 donations for Natural High. She set two goals last year: to raise $ 1,300.10 to represent the half-marathon distance of 13.1 miles.

By the time she ran the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in May 2023 and the full marathon in Chicago in October 2023, she had a goal of raising $2,600.20 to represent a full marathon mileage, George said.

“I felt proud to be a part of helping an organization that works to assist parents and educators with helping youth find their ‘natural high’ and live a life that will allow them to dream big,” George said.

Part of a team

George got her chance to run in the New York City Marathon as part of the TCS Teachers Team, sponsored by the Indian-based Tata Consultancy Services, a worldwide information technology services firm. She submitted an essay about her motivation for running and was among a group of 50 teachers from the United States and Canada picked to be part of the TCS team. She received free entry to the marathon on Nov. 3 and received teaching resources and information on lessons.

“This was by far the most amazing race experience I have ever had. It’s such an honor to get the chance to run New York City,” George said. Among the highlights were the runners going across the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the sound of the crowds as they reached Manhattan and her first view of Central Park.

George, who had her name written on her T-shirt, said she heard spectators calling out her name repeatedly, telling her she could make it to the finish line. That powered her through times of weakness and the pain she was feeling, she said. She shed tears as she crossed the finish line and saw her mother and aunt with her daughters.

George has run seven half-marathons: two in Pittsburgh, two in the The Boston Harvest Half, two at Ohiopyle and one in Baltimore. She has completed three marathons — New York City, Richmond, Va., in 2022, and Chicago in 2023. She said she does not know what her next marathon might be but said she does not think she is finished running the 26.2-mile distance.

“Running has made such an amazing impact on who I am as a person … wish I had found it earlier in life, to be honest,” George said.

Impact on teaching

George, who teaches English to ninth graders, said she wants to share her love of reading with her students and loves the connections she can make with them.

“I am passionate about the fact that this is a formative year (for the students). Decisions made this year will impact the kids for the rest of their high school careers and beyond,” she said.

Experiencing the loss of her brother and the satisfaction she gets from running are two things that have made it easier for her to talk to her students about goals.

“I hope to help inspire others — especially students and other educators — to set big goals. I know that I left New York City that weekend even more passionate about helping my students reach their potential,” George said.