Sometimes GIFTS come at the most unexpected of times and from the most unexpected of sources.
We didn’t ask for anything, we’ve just been there — at no cost — for families who have lost loved ones to an addiction*.
WHY?
Because I lost my mom to an addiction when I was just 16 years old.
To give some meaning to this awful, life altering event, it’s been my life’s work to:
(1) make it cool for youth to choose not to drink or drug at all, and to …
(2) help those struggling with a substance use disorder (including their families) to recover.
So for many years now, our Associate Director Charlie Berman has been facilitating a support group called
* PELA or Parents Enduring Lost to Addiction.
It’s held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 5:30 to 7pm.
Now about our unexpected GIFT …
One set of PELA parents who lost their only daughter Jessica to an addiction, have a niece,
Alicia Cook,
who is honoring her cousin by making Drug Advocacy her passion.
We just learned that Alicia has written a book of poetry and
— has decided to donate 100% of her royalties to The Willow Tree Center —
to help families where addiction is present.
OMG!!! Thank you, Alicia!
We want to
Honor Alicia
by letting you know that one of her articles
— Heroin is the worse thing to ever happen to me, and I’ve never touched it —
was picked up by HuffPost, CNN, and Yahoo today!
To read Alicia’s article, click here:
If you would like to purchase or learn more about Alicia’s book of poetry for $6.99, click here:
In closing, I want you to know that I’ve been asking my higher power for help on behalf of Willow Tree a lot lately. Alicia’s gift is proof that prayer really does work.