Great people doing great things

This past Friday, 4/28/17, Brian and I went to a benefit for heroin awareness at the Hi Tone. It was called “STOP Doing Heroin.” The coordinators are Kim Vodicka and Brian “Skinny” McCabe. Josh McLane hosted the benefit and did an excellent job! Brian “Skinny” McCabe and Kim Vodicka started STOP doing heroin back in January of this year. It is a “volunteer based group of humanists, activists and concerned citizens based in Memphis, TN.” Right now, they have a facebook page, but there is definitely a website in the works. Basically this group was formed because they are weary of their friends and loved ones dying from the current heroin/fentanyl OD epidemic. They want to help reduce the rate of overdoses by raising funds to help willing addicts who do not have money or insurance, to receive rehabilitation treatment. We met some awesome people that night, most of whom were grieving for wonderful souls who lost their battle with the disease of addiction. Shelby’s best friend Andrew was there and played “Do You Realize,’ by the Flaming Lips. I have not ever heard any Flaming lips songs; it was so beautiful and very appropriate. Andrew’s mother and I cried and hugged each other. Shelby was like another son to her and she another mother to him. Her name is Beth and I love her very much! Emily Harvey installed Phone of the Spirit at St. John’s United Methodist Church, on the corner of Peabody and Bellevue, in Memphis. She started the project as a grief tool out of her own grief. She got the idea from a man in Japan who installed one after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami hit the island. He did this as a way for grieving families to say anything to their loved ones in Heaven that had been left unsaid. His was named Phone of the Wind. Becky Faruggia and other strong people from Hearts for Hope and Healing were there spreading their message of hope for heroin addicts. They want everyone to have access to Narcan in hopes of it leading to rehabilitation. This, among other things the wonderful people of HFHAH are striving for, gives me hope for the people suffering from this awful disease. Clay Butts, an awesome EMT, gave an informative demonstration on how Narcan is administered and shared knowledge of how it works on a cellular level. There were others there that we did not get a chance to talk to but you can check it out on the facebook page. STOP Doing Heroin: https://www.facebook.com/STOP-Doing-Heroin-1798600693734625/