Contributed Article
Safford was chosen as a pilot community by Facing Addiction, which is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to unifying the voices of the more than 45 million Americans and their families directly impacted by addiction. The Pilot Community Project is an attempt by Facing Addiction to see how effective organizing our communities to wage grassroots campaigns can be in changing the public response to the addiction crisis. The Gila Valley has organized itself into seven teams, and we are proud to announce the captains for each team. These men and women are champions of hope within our community and we thank them for their service.
Team Captains are listed below:
- Recovery Advocates: Mariah Hile and Chris Taylor
- Affected Families: Jan Napier, Darlene Taylor and Nikki Aguilar
- Prevention Leaders: Kathy Grimes and Laura Rogers
- Business Leaders: John Howard and Jon Stewart
- Faith Leaders: Jane Villalba
- Law Enforcement: Joe Brugman and Beth Holloway
- Medical Community:
Safford has been chosen as one of 15 municipalities nationwide to take part in public addiction reform sponsored by Facing Addiction.
Our Captains are responsible for the following:
- Recruiting Advocates to serve on their team.
- Working with community leaders to keep Advocates engaged on ongoing activities.
- Help organize social gatherings targeting specific audiences.
- Ensure turnout of Advocates to organized events, trainings, etc.
- Keep community leaders in the loop as to progress building support for their program within in their teams.
Our Advocates are vital to the success of our project and will help in the following ways:
- Writing letters to the editor, sharing your personal story and connection to this issue.
- Meeting with community leaders and elected officials.
- Attending events and helping to organize them.
- Other activities as they arise throughout the project.
Interested in getting involved and becoming part of the solution?
Join us for our first event in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day. Thursday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. on the steps of the Graham County Courthouse. This will be a candlelight vigil where our community can come together to honor those we have lost, find hope, and begin to heal.
To get involved and join our efforts contact us directly at gilavalleyfacingaddiction@gmail.com or leave a message at 928-322-2111.
