We never sought out to build the biggest house in America. It just kind of happened. It's bigger than the White House. Two tennis courts, 30 bathrooms, full size baseball field, 10 kitchens, antique furniture, 90,000. Square feet. That was a glimpse of the 2012 documentary, the Queen of Versailles, which followed David and Jackie Siegel, the owner of Westgate's Resorts. The film portrayed a family who seemed to have it all, a booming business and a lavish lifestyle along with a big close-knit family of eight children. Really one of the pioneers of the timeshare industry and owns over 20 resorts nationwide under the parent company called Westgate. But everything came to a screeching halt after a devastating loss, a tragedy that even shifted the couple's career focus. While they were aware of some of their 18-year-old daughter Victoria's struggle, her diary revealed far more than they ever realized. It is from Victoria's own words, and it's about a four year journey, and you can see her spiral, you can see the downward spiral of her life of when she started doing drugs and her journey and her mental health. Struggles that she had. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud Hear Victoria's story, what her family wishes they'd known sooner, and how they're now working to raise awareness in hopes of preventing other tragedies. I sit down with the executive director of Victoria's voice, Leah Shepherd. Leah, welcome to Grieving Out Loud. I have been very aware of Victoria's voice. I think just a few months after I started Emily's Hope, actually, because both organizations use the first name of a beautiful young woman who was lost way too soon in Victoria's case to overdose. In Emily's case, she was also. Using heroin, but was actually poisoned by fentanyl laced in that heroin. And then I sort of dived in and learned a lot about Victoria's voice, and I've seen your booths at different conferences and things like that, but I've never had really a chance to have anyone from the organization on the podcast to talk about your mission and what you do. Well, thank you for having us. We, we appreciate it. It's a privilege to meet you and certainly on behalf of everyone at Victoria's Voice, I'm sorry for your loss of your daughter, Emily. Thank you so much. I think people look at a, a young woman like Victoria, who was she 18 when she died and Emily was 21. Both, you know, had so much going for them. Were privileged kids, beautiful women. And ironically, both had met a boy that introduced them to heroin and both died way too soon, and I think they think something like that can happen. We know now because so many years have passed that it's happened to so many different young people from all walks of life that it can really happen to anybody. Well, it, can happen to anybody and it does happen to anybody. You know, this drug epidemic sweeping our country doesn't discriminate against age, race, color, creed, religion. It doesn't care. And certainly David and Jackie knew that Victoria had some drug use, but some drug use and overdosing are two completely different things, as you know, as a mother who's lost a child. Oh, a hundred percent. And we should go back a little bit and talk about. Dave and Jackie Siegel. I think a lot of people would be familiar with Jackie because of, and their whole family, because of the reality show, queen of Versailles. But can you give us just a little bit of background Absolutely David. Um, Siegel is a, a hospitality magnet, in Orlando, Florida. Really one of the pioneers of the timeshare industry and owns over 20 resorts nationwide under the parent company called Westgate. And he and Jackie had been together for nearly 30 years, have six children together. Seven, including a niece that she adopted and have really lived a great life, great lifestyle, not only through the work that they did at Westgate, but also charitable work that they had been involved with. And. David Siegel is a fixture in the Orlando community and really kind of an icon in our hometown. And when Victoria died in 2016, like most parents, it was just came as a, a shock and really, really a surprise. And we're left wondering, how did this happen to us? How did this happen to our daughter? how do we prevent this from happening to other parents? And so David, in 2016, turned his company over to his executives and completely shifted his focus on the overdose epidemic going on in this country and doing everything he could with his resources to try to stop it. Right, and his resources were plentiful, right? Mean, I know Naloxone has been a big part distributing Naloxone. Reaching out to middle schoolers and teenagers has been a big part of what Victoria's voice has done. And also recently we should mention that David passed away not that long He did, he did. And that left a huge hole you know, in everybody's hearts. And also he was just such an incredible leader but our goal is to carry on his mission and carry on his legacy through Victoria's voice. David and Jackie stated from the time of Victoria's death that the main reasons that Victoria died are, first of all, they missed the signs as parents. They feel they really do accept tremendous amount of responsibility as parents and feeling that they missed the hardcore signs , of what was going on in their daughter's life. Second, she didn't have the coping skills that teens need to deal with all the stress and pressure that they go through and turn to drugs as a crutch for that. And then thirdly, the first responders didn't have Narcan. She did have a pulse. When the first responders arrived at her house, but in 2016, first responders didn't carry Narcan, and that's why Naloxone became such a huge focus. So those are kind of the three main pillars that our foundation sits on. Our parent education education for kids and coping skills, and then also massive distribution and awareness of naloxone. I couldn't really understand where the seagulls were with Victoria back in 2016 because there are so many parallels to my own daughter's story where Victoria had gone through treatment, she had maybe used marijuana and Xanax, Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. same with my daughter, exact same drugs. And I'm sure they never thought she was going to overdose and die. And the same thing with Emily. Actually. I thought all she was using was marijuana and Xanax. Turns out it was heroin. But we were three days away from holding an intervention. She died and it never entered my mind before her death that she could die. I thought we'll just get her Right, help out there. We'll right. help. And I'm sure they thought the same thing. They were getting Victoria help and they probably never thought that she No, no, and, and also it's not understanding the combination of drugs. that children may or may not be taking. And again, I think one of the biggest problems that our country is facing with, recreational marijuana is that it's normalized the use of it. And I can't emphasize enough to parents, this is not the marijuana that you may have smoked in high school, that your parents may have smoked. This is not the same product. It is not the same drug. And it is damaging children's brains. It's doing significant brain damage and it is a gateway drug and. To normalize and make that okay is not okay. Yeah, we're really trying to teach that in our curriculum. I know Victoria's voice has Mm-hmm. as well, but teach teenagers and even younger that because it is not, and we have podcast episodes with. Parents whose children were in cannabis induced psychosis. And we talked to parents also their children's marijuana was also laced with fentanyl. We know that can happen with illicit marijuana. the black market stuff. It is just such a big topic, that issue of marijuana and how it changes the brain and it just should be something our teenagers Yes. Never. Yeah. Yeah. It's just, it's too bad that, and I think it was so normalized for my daughter as well, it was like considered, oh, this is a great thing. This is a great thing. And I, I always say this because people are like, oh, it's not a gateway drug. It's not a gateway drug. But almost every person I have talked to over the years who become addicted to opioids Yeah, they did. Yeah, they did. Yeah. the science doesn't lie. While Victoria's parents were aware of some of her struggles, the teen had lived a secret life that her parents never knew about until they started reading her diary after her death. One of her closest friends shared a text message with Jackie. That Victoria had sent her friend stating, if anything happens to me my journal, my diary is in this space in my room and I'd like for it to be published. And so, Jackie read the diary and as painful and as hard and as raw, and certainly vulnerable as it was to do that. She and David made the decision to share the diary. And so we've distributed over a hundred thousand copies of Victoria's diary, which is what we call Victoria's voice'cause it is her voice from the grave. Which is also, as you know, the name of our organization. And it is really a cautionary tale to any parent who thinks they know. What's going on in their child's life, even under their own very own roof. And it is from Victoria's own words, and it's about a four year journey, and you can see her spiral, you can see the downward spiral of her life of when she started doing drugs and her journey and her mental health. Struggles that she had. And as hard as it is to read. I think every parent should read it. Every parent should see it because it lets them know, A, you don't know what your child is probably going through, and B, you're not alone. You know, if you do have a child struggling with mental health and substance use, you're not alone. And it happens. If it can happen to the Siegels, it can happen to you. And it's also something that, that we give away in high schools for students. Middle school we think is a little too young because of some of the language and some of the, the content. But for high school students, some of the feedback and comments we get about is it makes them feel almost normal. Like, I'm not the only person who's struggling in this way. I'm not the only person who has anxiety or fear or insecurities. I'm not the only person who has turned to drugs to quell some of that. It's been a tremendous resource and, and a very generous gift from David and Jackie to fund the cost of that and to distribute it for free. Are you ready to protect the next generation from the dangers of substance use? Emily's Hope has created a comprehensive K through 12 substance use prevention curriculum designed to educate, empower, and equip students with the tools they need to make healthy choices are age appropriate lessons, starting kindergarten and build through high school using science, real stories and interactive learning to help kids understand their bodies, brains, and risk of drug use. We're already reaching thousands of students across multiple states, and we're just getting started. Visit emily's hope edu.org to learn more and share our curriculum with your school administrators and counselors. At Emily's Hope, we believe prevention begins with education. Let's work together to keep our kids safe. Yeah, that is truly amazing. And I am so amazed that this young girl was so faithful to journaling as well, because you know, sometimes kids might write in a diary and then not, write for a while. And also I think what's fascinating, I've seen the book and it is her truly her penmanship and her Yeah. I mean, it really lets you know who she was. And that's what I think shocks people. Like you said, you've seen us at some of these conferences and we distribute it and they're like, this is literally her diary. And it has a forward and some comments from Jackie and the Siegel family and some photos of her. And at the end we have resources and data for parents of different places they can go to get more information, groups that they might join, websites to visit. Data from the DEA and from the c, DC. So it's both her diary, but also a resource guide for parents. And we have the same content on our website. But it is, she was a very gifted artist, as you can see from some of the drawings in the diary. And art was one of her hobbies and therapeutic for her. And it's, it is, it's, it's a hard read, but I think it's an important one. Yeah, Emily was an artist too, and we use her art as her legacy. We have an art show and auction every year and her art's on display in our offices. And you know, she left me with 29 paintings and several pieces of pottery, and it's something that I think. Kids who struggle oftentimes are artistic. They're writers. They're artists. I mean, we, we find that to be such a common thread for mental health and substance use Yeah, it is, it's an outlet for them. It's an emotional outlet. It's a creative outlet. Um, and, and maybe in journaling, we'll tell the journal things that they wouldn't tell a therapist and certainly their parents or a sibling. And you know, parents. Have the right to ask their kids questions and maybe go through their nightstands and maybe read their diary and you may think that's an invasion of privacy, but if that invasion of privacy saves your child's life, then maybe it's something worth considering. Right. I think it's our duty as parents to protect our children almost at all costs. Right. And there were lots of things that I did when Emily was. And, you know, the throes of rebellion that I think maybe weren't the best steps to take. But I did everything. I monitored her social media, I did all the things that they tell you to do. That's how I know that she was using marijuana and Xanax. Or Xanax for sure.'cause you know, last time she could smell the marijuana, but the Xanax, so I think you just have to do whatever you can in today's world to protect your child. There are so many threats to them, not just drugs or threats of predators on social media. And so it is really your duty as a parent, I believe. It is. And it's, you know, we've gotten in a generation where parents wanna be friends with their kids, and I understand that everyone wants a healthy, positive relationship with your kids. but sometimes it's not your job to be their friend. It's your job to be their parent and, get them to their 18th birthday as healthy and safe as you possibly can. And sometimes that requires, you know, conflict is healthy in a relationship. You're going to have conflict with your teenager and embrace it and learn from it and just keep 'em safe. I think it's, great to have a, open, friendly relationship with your child, but I don't think you can truly be their friend until they're about Yeah. 24 years Or 30. Yeah, 30, maybe 30. Yeah. If you'd like to read Victoria's Diary, it's published as Victoria's voice. Our daughter's dying wish to share her diary and save lives from drugs. You can get your own copy by checking out a link in the show notes and while you're there. We'd appreciate it. If you take a moment to rate and review this podcast. Please also share it with your friends and family. You know there's parents out there that need to hear it. Together we can raise awareness and hopefully save lives. What kind of feedback have you had from kids who have read it and parents who have read it? Yeah., For the parents, it's um, again, the realization of this happened to the seagulls, this what was going on in their daughter life. You mean a family who, seemingly on the outside. Has every financial resource, education, support, you know, healthy, stable, home life. It's not like children who have to relocate schools every year, or you know, there's food on the table every night. There's parents there at the home, you know, and. If it can happen to them, it can happen to us. And I think that's one of the biggest takeaways is it really does wake these parents up to realizing I need to pay attention to what's going on in my kids and start asking some hard questions and having hard conversations. with some of the, high school kids, the biggest feedback we get is just making them feel normal, normalizing their. mental health struggles normalizing the feelings that they have and the insecurities that they have at school and in their everyday life normalizing how terrifying social media can be. I mean, you know, you and I, I know parents talk about this all the time. I can't imagine having to grow up with my life on public display in the competition that kids and especially young girls feel they have to be in. For their external appearances. And that's something that, I don't know that I would've survived in a healthy manner in middle school and high school. Yeah. We know that it's really affected our kids with anxiety and depression, and we know substances are like the next step right Well, and bonus it's where they're getting their drugs right. over half the time. It's, it's, on the phone that we give them, and it's through social media channels. it's profoundly dangerous. The Siegel family knows all too well about the dangers in today's society. Not only did Jackie lose her teenage daughter, but earlier this year, just hours after her husband died, she also lost her sister to an accidental drug overdose. Jackie's was very, very close with her sister who lived in Orlando as well. And it was on the eve of David's death that she took fentanyl laced cocaine and it killed her. And Jackie and the entire Segal family had been managing the grief around Jessica as well as David within hours of each other. Yeah. am so glad that, and you are all speaking out about it though, and telling the truth about what happened. Because I think it is hard for people to understand when, how people, because I've talked to parents who've lost more than one child, right? And you think, well, why would somebody use drugs if they lost a sibling? To that. Right. And so the same thing, like you think, how could this It's just that it. Reinforces that there are no drugs or good drugs. it doesn't matter if you think that you're using cocaine or any drug in a recreational manner, all it takes is it's the DEA slogan. One pill can kill, one line of cocaine can kill you. And it did and fentanyl is everywhere. it's not a matter of, if, it's a matter of when someone you know or love is going to be poisoned by fentanyl and die. Right, right. And even though we're, grateful that deaths are going down. I always say when the year my daughter died, it was 72,000 deaths. And last year it had gone down from the previous years to 80,000. That's still way too many people It is way too many people. And yeah, the numbers from the CDC are certainly encouraging a 24% decrease in overdose death and, and crediting a lot of that to Naloxone distribution and an awareness of those opioid reversals. But it. Doesn't change the fact, you know, we're in the prevention space and we have so many people who talk to us about the border. We're not in border control. I can't do anything about the border. What I can try to do is decrease the demand, and that's what we try to do every day. And the younger we can get in front of these students. We really originally had focused solely on high schools because of Victoria's age. But the truth of the matter is kids are getting access to it and knowledge of it. They do grow up faster than we did, and the earlier we can get to them. You know, barring schools allowing, and parents allowing these conversations to take place, certainly the better. It's easier to prevent a child from doing drugs than it is to get off of them, as you all know. a hundred percent and we are right there with you. And would love to join hands with Victoria's voice because we started our. we're actually evidence-based now in K through five with our substance use prevention curriculum in five states before thousands of students with other states showing interest in it. Because all of the research shows we have to start talking to Yeah. There have been kids as young as second or third grade caught with vapes. Of course, they probably get it from an Right, or right. but. Second or third grade, nicotine grabs a hold of that little brain. I hate to think of how it could change it. Right. And, and it's just such an important effort and that's why we started, we actually started with the younger grades and, did the later grades following that because we knew there were already other, curriculums out there like yours that are so good for middle and high school kids as well. But there are lots more to choose from than there are for those younger grades. welcome any sort of partnership 'cause we don't wanna duplicate efforts. So would welcome a conversation after the podcast about that and how we can partner with you on, on elementary kids as well. Yeah. I always say that we all need to join hands in this space. We all want Completely. all want to prevent, it from happening to somebody else, from someone else experiencing that That, you know, as cliche as the saying, as a rising tide does lift all boats and you know, there's no shortage of nonprofits that have been started by parents who've lost a child, whether it's from a drug overdose, a drowning, a car accident, suicide, and, all parents have a common bond and the grief that they share over losing a child. So many questions they have, but wanting to find a place to pour their grief and make a difference so that other parents don't experience what they did but also a way for their child's legacy to live on in some capacity. and we're no different in that shared mission in trying to do that. For more information about the Emily's Hope K through 12 curriculum or Victoria's voice, check out the show notes beyond the classroom. Leah says their organization is also reaching students where they spend much of their time on social media. It's one, knowing your audience and knowing how you message to that audience. And we do have two different audiences. We have the parents, mostly moms and the demographics who follow us on Instagram, which is our highest rated social media site. The most likes, the most engagement come from our Instagram. Site. And then also for students, it's who are they gonna listen to, you know? I mean, when I grew up it was always generally the police officer who came in and spoke to you about don't doing drugs. Well that's their job, Didn't work too. It didn't work. I'm sorry. And, and it's not that you don't respect them and what they do for a living, but you know, I mean, teenagers are like, you're a cop. That's your job to tell me to not do drugs. So who are these kids gonna listen to? So part of our strategy is, like you said, teens speaking to teens. People who, if they're gonna listen to their peer group. Trying to get that information out there. We have used influencers in campaigns and in some capacity, not ongoing through our national Naloxone Awareness Day campaign. That was something we started three years ago. Emily's hope jumped on that one that you started the National Naloxone Awareness Day.'cause we also. Pass out Naloxone that's great. several states now. So we just wanted to make sure we were promoting that thank you. Thank you. yeah, there are a lot, there's all these fentanyl awareness days and we do overdose awareness and but all the days were focused on the problem overdose, opioids, fentanyl. There was no day focused on the solution and we were shocked. And so we reached out to some political allies, Senator Rick Scott for the State of Florida, and Senator Ed Markey from Massachusetts, Democrat and Republican, and said, will you propose a resolution, not a bill. We're not looking for funding. We just want a federally supported acknowledgement that we need to. Create awareness around Naloxone. And so we picked June 6th, which is the day Victoria died. And so this past year is the third year that we had National Naloxone Awareness Day. And we had a national light up purple campaign. Purple was Victoria's favorite color. So we had everything. We had over 150 monuments and institutions, buildings that Niagara Falls, light up purple, different arenas. The San Diego Convention Center, literally from California to New York to create that kind of awareness. and that was part of a social media strategy too, though. Built in when you, you know, ask about that strategy is having some of these campaigns that generate awareness and get people to, participate and is, you know, kind of overused as these days are. They do work and it does generate awareness. Yeah, I think it's fantastic, and I think anything we can do to lessen the stigma Naloxone, because sadly were just in a meeting the other day where um, a smaller community, a police officer there was talking about how he believed that this was too much of a crutch for drug users. They just got Naloxone so they could continue using and that we shouldn't be providing it. And I just thought, well, wow, you'd rather have people die. Then stay alive. But I mean, I've heard all of the, and most of it's false, these ideas, but we have to do everything we can to make it as commonplace as an EpiPen and a ED fire extinguisher. Anything that you have out there. I'm grateful that your organization has a huge jump on our organization in doing that. but we join you in that effort Well, and, stigma is never gonna go away no matter what. because there is still always going to be an audience and an environment of people who, no matter what, don't understand why someone does drugs and you're a drug user. you know, you're a druggie. Who cares if you overdose, that that mentality is never gonna go away. When we first started kind of doing mass distribution of Naloxone, the first popup that we did was at something called Military Weekend, and Westgate Resorts host a weekend every year in December where they invite military families to stay at their resort for free to just thank them for their service. So we had a popup giveaway of Naloxone, Narcan and 90% of the military officers and wives in, in the military. Women as well said, Ooh, our kids don't do drugs. And we're like, no. we're not telling you that your kids do drugs. You don't know who's in the backseat of your SUV when you're driving to, football practice with your kids and what that kid may have in their backpack. Fast forward three years later. Everybody takes it because now they realize it is the fire extinguisher. You don't want a fire in your kitchen, but you keep a fire extinguisher in in your kitchen in case one happens. And so it is just in three years, the difference that we've seen of overcoming the stigma and carrying it, so at least parents are waking up to it. I can't stop that audience. Nor can you who think, oh, it's just gonna make druggies use drugs more, even if it does. I don't want them dying of an overdose to you. Right. That's what I say. I always say I just wanna keep Right. till I can get them the help that Yeah. yeah, I don't understand that mentality. But you're right. It's never probably gonna be completely erased, but we are making progress. We're making progress Yeah. As one of the nation's strongest financial organizations, first Premier Bank and Premier Bank Card have the strength to do good. We support nearly 700 organizations and nonprofits. Our employees give more than 30,000 volunteer hours annually, and we are continually seeking ways to make South Dakota an even better place to live. It's the premier way, first Premier Bank and Premier Bank art. We're really fortunate to have a great relationship with the DEA and I prior to doing this work with Victoria's voice, thought that the DEA was just a law enforcement agency and didn't realize how great their prevention and education programs were and how critical they are to the work that all of us do. And they, they host family fentanyl summits in different regions throughout the year. And we had the privilege of hosting one in Orlando. And to hear these parents' stories, they look like any parent. Any parent you would see in a grocery store, any parent you would see in a PTA meeting, and they look like any parent in America. And for them to feel embarrassed that their child died for a drug overdose is crushing to me. And it's just something that's gotta go away. Right. I mean, I agree and I've heard all the comments over the years. I've been in the public eye for decades and heard. Of course, like you were a horrible Right. your kid died. And I think that's what people are afraid of is the judgment of others. I have to say that it's such a small fraction of people who actually do that kind of thing or say that kind of thing on social media, but what those comments are so loud, right? They're louder than all the other, you know, comments of support really. But yeah, it is, we have to do away with, blaming parents for what's happening in society. It's a societal It, it is and, and substance use uh, whether it's alcohol or drugs, is a disease. And you wouldn't be embarrassed to sit at a, Mom's night out or at a PTA meeting and talk about your child's diabetes, to talk about their non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, you know, to talk about their allergies. But parents are embarrassed to talk about substance use among their children, and the more parents are willing to talk about it and share it, the more they're gonna prevent it from happening to other kids. you're exactly right. And the other thing that I saw recently was that Jackie Siegel was at the White House for the signing of the Halt Fentanyl Act with a couple of her kids. And so. That was big deal. I know there were lots of there and different parents that I've had on the podcast actually. And I think that the one thing I always come back to and say that this has to be a. A non-partisan issue. It has to be, like you talked about working with lawmakers on both sides of the harder to do than ever It is. Right? So how do we make this a non-partisan issue? How do we get everyone to be on the same page when it comes ending the fentanyl and overdose first and foremost, invite them. you know, we, we started with Senator Scott because David Siegel had a long-term relationship with him.'cause we're in Florida, Florida based business. And his immediate, I mean like kudos to Senator Scott was, who are we getting on the Democrat side? was his leadership and his initiative saying this isn't a Republican issue. This is on both sides. And so there are. Leaders out there like a Senator Markey and Scott, who understand the value of working across the lines to stop children from dying. And so the leadership exists. it's looking forward and just making the ask. I can tell you we've never had anyone on either side of the party say no to us knowing that someone else was gonna have a seat at the table. They simply haven't. So we've so far, I can say, have not experienced. Partisanship in our efforts. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I think if our country can unify over any single issue, it's stopping kids from dying of drug overdose because parents are learning that they're not immune to this fentanyl poisoning, and it can happen to them. that's exactly right. And that's how we, we remain nonpartisan organization because we wanna work with everybody. We want everybody to pay attention to this issue. but it was great to see that Mm-hmm. signed, that just um, it continued what was already being done, but it, means it's not gonna expire that that's all these different analogs. And now we're seeing analogs 43 times. Stronger than fentanyl killing people out there. And that's why, you know, this is so much more. We, Yes, we can talk about the border and I talked about the border incessantly on this podcast, but it's so much more than a border issue. And I, I'm with you there with the I can't do anything about it. you know, that's not my, my expertise and certainly not my skillset or something I'm equipped to do, but I can do my hardest to stop the demand that's where I feel we're gonna make the biggest really the biggest movement. We need to make sure the funds are insured for prevention and Yes. efforts. I think that, so in addition to all these border efforts in law enforcement, like the halt, fentanyl Act, law enforcement efforts, which is, really Mm-hmm. thing. We have to continue to lobby for that, money for prevention and treatment to be there because we all need it, right? Every community Legislators need to hear from their constituents. They need to hear from parents and from kids saying that this matters to me. When we went to them and said, this matters to me, they listened. So you know, despite some of the negative publicity and the negative news, your legislators on both sides of the aisle are a lot more willing to listen to you than you may think. They may not give you the answer you want. But they are there to listen. And we've had a good experience. So try to keep hope alive and just pick up the phone and call and get meetings even if it's with a legislative aid, they will listen. Right. You don't have to be a Jackie Siegel who is well known and famous and has the means, no. Or a highly paid lobbyist. Look, parents are voters and they know it. You have a voice, use it. Victoria's voice is trying to make it easier for grieving families to use their voice Through the Angel Army, the organization has partnered with other nonprofits to provide support and a platform for other parents who have lost children to substances. There's no shortage of parents who have started these nonprofits and a lot of 'em, you know, go outta business within two to three years. Not realizing how hard it is to run this business, how hard it is to fundraise. It is, it's hard work, and so we wanna be a resource. To some of these groups, to either partner with them, like partnering with you, you know, because we don't have elementary school programs, so let us partner with you and help promote, you know, what you're doing. But Angel Army came out of a, a brainstorm with the Fentanyl Fathers, which is a group based in Florida, but it's a group of parents who have lost their kid to drug overdose. Many of them fentanyl, but not all. It's not a requirement. And their goal is advocacy and education. And they, they've reached over 500 schools in less than three years, mostly middle and high schools. And with drug education programs saying from a lens of a parent who's buried a child, don't do to your parent, what happened to me? And this is why you shouldn't be doing drugs. And when we started talking about all these different nonprofits, were like, why don't we create. Some sort of unified effort to the extent that we can and create this army of bereaved parents, of these angel parents and try to make our voice louder. And so that's the premise of it. You can learn more about the Angel Army by visiting the website, angel army.com. Again, we've shared a link in the show notes. What we're trying to do is provide grief resources for parents. We have Monday meetups. Every Monday there's a Zoom meeting that you can come sit in and listen or talk or participate, but just be around other parents who have that same shared experience of losing a child. The second, as I mentioned, we're the school speaking engagements or public speaking engagements. Um, We do training, hardcore training to get you out to tell your story. Whether it's speaking to your local Rotary club or speaking to your PTA or speaking to kids in schools. And then the third is advocacy. If you wanna speak to a legislator, but not sure how to get in touch with one or what to say, we can help you with talking points and help arrange meetings. And again, we are not lobbyists. We educate and we advocate, but some parents just don't know where to start. And so those are the three main resources that we provide through Angel Army. Everything's free. We don't charge memberships. We just want to be a resource for parents. Right, and it sounds like, you know, so many parents have started. Organizations, but you don't have to No. organization to do this kind of work. And I think that's really important for parents to understand is there's plenty of this work to go around and all over Yep. and so it doesn't matter where you are. And I think that this sounds like it would be a great resource for parents who don't necessarily wanna start their own organization, but wanna be involved, volunteer, do work to change the Well, and you know, from doing this work, as long as you have their safety in numbers. It's one thing to be one parent going in and trying to get a meeting with a legislator, but when you have 300, 400,000 parents who have the same message as you do, you're gonna get a lot more attention. And that's really why we called it the Army, is the war on drugs was declared what, in the early seventies by President Nixon, I believe. And he's the one who actually created the DEA. And it's, you know, 50 plus years later and the war is still on. And so we wanna create an army. Let's win this war. Yeah, I'm with you. I'll take my marching orders because that's what we're doing. Um, well, thank you. Thank you for everything that you're doing and working for and really appreciate all of Thank you. Thank you for the work that you do it. It was great meeting you and spending time with you today. And thank you for taking time to learn more about this important issue plaguing our country. If you are someone you love is struggling with substance use disorder, please don't wait to seek help. You can find a list of helpful resources on our website, Emily's Hope dot charity. While you're there, you can also listen to hundreds of other grieving out loud episodes. Read my blog and stay up to date with the latest news headlines surrounding the opioid epidemic and addiction. Thank you again for listening. Until next time, wishing you faith, hope, and courage. This podcast is produced by Casey Wonnenberg King and Kayli Fitz.