The Power of Talking to People with Janice Celeste, President and CEO of Fentanyl Solution
The nation is in crisis: a drug crisis.
In the eighth episode of Nonprofit Connect, we speak with Janice Celeste, the President and CEO of Fentanyl Solution, a non-profit organization combating the illicit fentanyl crisis, empowering communities with life-saving solutions, and advocating for accountable legislation that holds all levels of government accountable in addressing the crisis. Throughout her career, she has been an advocate for children and families, stemming from her work as an early childhood specialist and parent educator at a children’s hospital.
Why parents need to be aware of the fentanyl crisis
As a parent myself, I always worry about my kids, no matter what we do.
It’s one of many things that makes parenting hard – the constant fear surrounding the safety of your children. It’s even worse when you realize that it’s impossible to protect them from everything.
Speaking to Janice about the fentanyl crisis was eye-opening and frankly terrifying.
I had no idea that fentanyl was the number one killer of children in Orange County. I don’t know what I would have guessed, but it would have never been that.
So what can we do to change the future for our children?
According to Janice, it’s all about how we approach educating them.
“But just Google ‘fentanyl, fake pills,’ and then have your child report back to you what they found. The number one question you need to ask them is, what do they already know? And then you can fill them in on the rest, and they can fill you in on what they found. And that conversation makes some sort of ambassadors for their friends.”
Of course, that means we all have to find out more, but Janice can help with that.
Once we educate our children, they can tell their friends the risks of getting involved with fentanyl, which will help slow the spread of the crisis and help save our children from one of the many things we worry about.
Talking to people is your best tool
All nonprofits need to keep on top of the latest information in their space, whatever that space may be. Although some areas are slow to change, others change daily, and the drug sphere is one such place.
Janice says that although the CDC and other professional bodies provide information, her most valuable tool is speaking to the people involved.
Whether this be parents who lost their children to fentanyl or people addicted to the drug, their stories are eye-opening and help her and Fentanyl Solution learn what they need to do to change things for the better.
“I know I've been fortunate not to have to ever experience anything like this, but hearing it from them, I understand. Withdrawal symptoms are painful. They're painful. They actually hurt. And that's why so many people have a hard time. And they say it takes like eight times to go to rehab to get off fentanyl. So it's really difficult when someone's addicted to it and to hear their stories from them.”
Some stories Janice shares involve people who were injured, couldn’t afford their medication, and had to turn to the black market to get their pain relief. Sadly, unbeknownst to them, their pills were laced with fentanyl, and they became addicted. Others involve people being taken off of their opioid pain relief by their doctor and going into withdrawal so seeking other methods to release their pain.
And finally, the one that touched me the most was a story of a family celebrating a birthday. Once the children went to sleep, the parents took a bump of cocaine each, not knowing that fentanyl was bulking it out. Both were found dead in the morning, and their children were still in bed.
Clearly, this is a problem that needs to be solved from many different facets, and that is just some of the work that Fentanyl Solution is working on.
Listen to the Whole Episode!
Sorry for the slightly somber tone this week, folks. It's a tough episode, but a necessary one.
Follow the link below and listen to the full episode of Nonprofit Connect! Or better yet, connect with Rogue Creatives directly to see how we can improve your nonprofit’s story to raise more revenue.