As the heroin epidemic took more and more lives, I spearheaded a community conversation to gather and connect concerned folks with resources. I partnered with Monte Bohanan at the Music Hall, and in less than 48 hours, we pulled together a packed room at the Music Hall Loft. People left with actions to take, and we continued the series to talk about poverty and other issues.
This first community conversation had the following goals: to give voice to the community to express their concerns (the talk will be recorded by PPMtv to share with city officials and others who may not be in attendance for the entire forum); to connect concerned community members with existing, actionable ways to get involved in fighting this epidemic, and to generate new ideas and/or initiatives for raising awareness and supporting prevention, treatment and recovery efforts.
Organizations represented included: Safe Harbor Recovery Center, Portsmouth Police Department and Southeast NH Services.
Facebook Event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/913247312072867/
News Coverage in The Portsmouth Herald: http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20150427/NEWS/150429117/101098/