Blog
Your Addiction Affects More Than Just You
YOUR ADDICTION AFFECTS MORE THAN JUST YOU by Veronica "Peach" Hoiland How many lives can be destroyed through addiction? How long does it take to destroy the ones who love and support the addict the most? The effects of addiction not only affect the addict, but...
Dying Was Not Her Intention
Many of the directors and volunteers of the foundation spend a lot of time talking to people who have lost loved ones to addiction. We hear "They didn't want to die" many times. That's what makes this whole thing so tragic. Death is final. We know that by using a...
Keeping Amara Alive
I wasn't sure what I was going to post today. My heart said to write about Amara. "Keeping Amara Alive" takes on a different meaning today than it did a year and a half ago. In 2021 and a few years before that, we were fighting to literally keep her alive. If you...
First Annual Chili Challenge In the Books!
Well, they cooked, they came and they showed the crowd what they created. Others came to eat and judge the best chili ... who could beat Scottie B.? Was it possible? As it turns out, yes. Scott Bjerkos was dethroned. Randy Overson was crowned Chili King for the 2023...
Fentanyl Is Killing People In Record-High Numbers
There's a demon making its way onto our streets, into our schools and into our homes. It's killing without mercy--not just the drug users but unsuspecting people who've never used a drug before. Fentanyl poisoning is the leading cause of death in the U.S. right now....
She’s Been Gone One Year Today
The Dreaded Day Has Arrived Today my daughter, Amara, has been gone from this world for one year. Actually, she died on the 6th of January but wasn’t found and officially proclaimed dead until the 7th. So, I did my heaviest mourning yesterday. My husband and I went...
Eighty-Nine Ornaments Hung to Honor Loved Ones Lost to Addiction or Overdoses
A Statement to the Community--Eighty-Nine People Have Spoken Eighty-nine people wrote the names of loved ones lost to addiction or accidental overdoses on ornaments and hung them on our foundation's tree at Rotary Lights in La Crosse, Wisconsin. See the link to the TV...
Fighting the Drug Crisis | By Heidi Overson
Fighting the Drug Crisis In 2019, I found a video on Facebook that stopped me in my tracks. It was a snippet of one of Marc Mero’s presentations, and it brought me to tears. My oldest daughter was struggling with addiction, and that’s why it hit me so hard. I...
A Letter to My Addict Daughter | By Heidi Overson
Heidi wrote this when she first discovered her daughter was using heroin, back in 2015. It grabbed international attention and was read on NPR in Washington D.C. It should be noted that she wrote it under the pseudonym of Ella Crosse to protect and respect Amara's...