About Us
Amara Rose Lee
1990-2022
The Amara Rose Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) charity that was founded in 2022 by Randall and Heidi Overson and Jeff Richardson. On January 7, 2022, they lost their daughter, Amara, to accidental fentanyl poisoning. Amara died alone on a cold kitchen floor, miles from home. She was 31.
Why we started the Amara Rose Foundation
We lost Amara (Mari) on January 7, 2022. We’ll never forget the moment we heard she was gone. We were devastated. Amara had struggled with drug addiction, insecurity and poor mental health for eight years.
When Amara’s family came home after the funeral and Celebration of Life, Heidi sat on the living room couch, surrounded by the memorial flowers, and proclaimed, “I’m starting a foundation.” Amara did not die for nothing. Amara had a beautiful soul, sparkling personality and a grounded faith. She just couldn’t beat her illness. She would have wanted us to do this—to help and save others who have the same disease. She would have wanted us to fight with every fiber of our beings.
The foundation was started to honor a beautiful life lost, but it was also started in honor of all of those whose lives have been lost to addiction, fentanyl poisoning and mental illness. And there are many. This foundation is not just our foundation, but your foundation. Through it, we can fight what’s happening, stopping it where and when we can.
Amara’s Story
Losing Amara was unfathomable, and we still wake up and go to sleep every day not believing that she’s gone. She is on our minds constantly. I often think about holding her when she was born and watching her grow and blossom into a beautiful little girl. The little girl turned into a teenager and then a gorgeous young woman. Amara was funny, full of imagination, bubbly, loving and hard working. She always said, “I love you guys” when she left after a visit or before hanging up the phone. I can still hear her voice.
In her middle school years, we started noticing that she was struggling. She went to counseling, and we thought it was resolved, but it wasn’t. In high school, she started using pot and taking pills (which we didn’t know about). She started drinking. When she graduated and moved out, we kept in touch and saw each other often, but we had no idea she was using other drugs. She hid it well.
In her twenties, she tried meth, and she quickly became addicted to that. She met a man who was using heroin, and it wasn’t long before Amara was a heroin user as well. It took just one dose and she was hooked.
Her heroin and meth use completely changed her from the Amara we knew to an Amara we fought to save. The eight-year journey was tumultuous to say the least. I saw my daughter handcuffed and put in a police car twice. I saw her pleading with me for help. We visited her in jail … in a psychiatric ward … in three different treatment centers. There were times she was missing, and we didn’t hear from her for months. She struggled very much.
We felt that we tried everything to save her. We fought tooth and nail for her. We prayed for God to help deliver her from her disease.
On January 6, 2022, she stopped at a friend’s apartment to get out of the cold. She was homeless and walking the streets, looking for a place to stay. A few hours later, she was dead from accidental fentanyl poisoning. The coroner told me she laid down on the kitchen floor and “went to sleep.” She was 31.
We got the text at 5:33 A.M. on January 7th. It was the end of Amara’s struggle. I think that God looked down and said, “OK, Amara, it’s time to come Home and rest.” She is finally at peace and happier than we can imagine.
I often ask God why this happened. What a beautiful, precious life … how can she be gone? Why our daughter? That’s it? It’s over? All of those years of raising her, being with her, fighting for her … just for nothing? No more hearing her say, “Hey, Mom!” or “Love you guys!” No more big hugs or long talks on the couch?
No. It’s not over.
Amara will live on through every person we help through this foundation.
Always and forever our baby she’ll be.
– Heidi (Amara’ mom)
Amara and her mom, Heidi
Amara and her dad, Jeff
Amara and her family
Amara and her family
Amara Rose Foundation Board of Directors
Every one of our directors has experienced drug/alcohol addiction, fentanyl poisonings and mental illness on a very personal level, whether that be through working in law enforcement, counseling those struggling, experiencing addiction themselves, or losing a loved one to an overdose or fentanyl poisoning.
The foundation also has advisors outside of the board: a jail minister, a harm reduction specialist and several people who have recovered from addiction.
Heidi Overson
Heidi is Amara’s mom and lives in the Coulee Region. She is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in local and national publications. She also owns and operates a party rental business. Her story about Amara’s struggle (on our blog page) went viral, appearing on websites all over the world. She and Randall have raised four children. She is determined to fulfill the foundation’s mission and will fight in honor of Amara and all others who lost their lives.
Randall Overson
Randall is Amara’s stepdad and lives in the Coulee Region. He works as a wastewater operator at a La Crosse business. He has raised four children with Heidi and has always made fatherhood his top priority. Losing Amara was extremely painful … something he’ll never get over and something he wants to save other parents from experiencing.
Jeff Richardson
Jeff is Amara’s dad and currently lives in North Carolina. He has been a critical care nurse for 30 years and has witnessed first hand the trauma and tragedy of addiction. Watching his daughter, most of the time from afar, fight her addiction was heartbreaking. He is honored to be a part of the Amara Rose Foundation and hopes it can help with both prevention and support in our communities. Jeff and his husband, Tom, are raising three children, all of whom were adopted at birth and whose origins began with birth mothers fighting addiction.
Sam is a mom of twins and is married. She works with people who struggle with poor mental health and addiction. She is currently working on getting her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She had struggled with addiction for eight years and has been in recovery for over seven years. She continues to spread the wonderful word and freedom of recovery.
Veronica Hoiland
Veronica recently retired from her job as a correctional officer and spends her nights cooking as a chef at a local supper club. She is the mother of Justin & Dylan, Grandma of seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. She is very active in the community and currently serves as treasurer for Vernon County National Night Out. She has great hopes that the foundation will educate and save every life that reaches out to fight the demon of addiction.
Julie Tully
Hello, my name is Julie Tully. I wanted to be a board member for the foundation because my son died in 2017 of accidental fentanyl poisoning. He suffered from addiction and ultimately it took his life. My heart goes out to these addicts and their families because recovery was a struggle for my son and we did not know where to turn. I want to be involved in giving hope and lending support to those with addiction. My husband and I have three beautiful children and four grandchildren. We live and work in Vernon County.
Scott Bjerkos
Scott is an investigator with the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office. He has 38 years of experience in law enforcement, all with the Sheriff’s office. He is determined to provide the best protection possible in the war on drugs. He sees firsthand how drugs destroy lives and is proud to be with an organization that’s making a difference.
Michael Bjorling
Michael Bjorling joined the Board in November 2022. He is our AV specialist during presentations, and he is an attorney at Hale, Skemp, Hanson, Skemp & Sleik in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Fritz Leinfelder
Fritz Leinfelder is an investigator with the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office, helps oversee drug court and is also the President of the Wisconsin Narcotics Officers Association. When asked to join the Amara Rose Foundation, he didn’t hesitate even one second. He’s excited to help in any capacity he can and put an end to this madness our communities are experiencing.
Julie Mills
Julie Mills was introduced to the foundation in 2023 when they presented at an Eagles Club banquet in Viroqua. She knew she wanted to volunteer for us, and now joins us as a Director. Julie is retired (?) but is extremely active in the community. serving with the Viroqua Eagles 2707 Auxiliary (she’s President Elect for 2024-2025), volunteering for other organizations, and she is Co-Treasurer for the Ridges & Rivers Book Festival. She is honored to join the foundation and pledges to give her time with compassion and respect.
Please join us in this very important fight.
Together, we can save our children and others we love.