By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
F.A.I.T.H.: Volunteer enjoys sharing stories
52664a.jpg
To order this photo, click here. (Times photo: Marissa Weiher)

F.A.I.T.H. Addiction Awareness of Green County created to help battle addiction

What we do: Our mission is to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of addiction by providing education, resources and support for affected individuals, families and communities. Activities include public educational events for adults as well as a recent educational event for all children sixth to 12th grade of Green County; annual FAITH Addiction Awareness 5K run/2-mile walk every August; our first annual "Lights of Hope" event coming this September; and holiday vendor shopping event "Peace, Hope & F.A.I.T.H."

Our organization: There are three members on our board of directors and 10 to 15 volunteers. All members volunteer their time.

What volunteers do for us: Volunteers help by giving their time for assisting at our events. They help share information on resources to those in need, as well as advocate for the future efforts of our organization to continue sharing education and knowledge with both the children and adults in the community.

What we need: We hope for continued support and awareness from our community. We also hope for participation in the events we hold to raise further funding to place back into our community in our efforts to educate the children and adults of Green County.

Contact info: www.faithgreencounty. wix.com/addictionawareness and

fightaddictiontogether@gmail.com

When and why I began volunteering: Jackie Kundert called me on Memorial Day weekend last year to see if I would be interested in being part of FAITH, an idea for a group that she had been thinking about creating. Her call came right at the perfect time for me as it was just what I needed - to work toward something to help those with addiction in their lives. I know what a lonely life it is to have an addict in your family as my son was a heroin addict and eventually died from an overdose, and I was so ready to work with Jackie and her never-ending energy.

What I do as a volunteer: I believe that I am a sounding board for Jackie and the rest of our team, and as I am retired, I am the person who has more time to do behind-the-scenes help for all of our wonderful events. There are many other volunteers with our group, and everyone truly works together to make things come to fruition. We all just seem to mesh in our purpose and willingness to take on different jobs.

Why I enjoy volunteering: My favorite jobs are those where I get to meet people and share our story, such as at our Rise Together programs for over 2,000 middle and high school students from Green County and our run/walk event in August. It is very inspiring to see the receptive reactions toward FAITH from people who are just learning about this horrendous issue facing so many in our area.

One thing I've learned as a volunteer: I have definitely learned so much more about the disease of addiction and I've learned that people from our area are very open to learning about this issue also. We have felt such positive sentiment from our community toward our purpose.