Two Ohio mothers to take addiction message on road
Tonda DaRe is taking a road trip covering 13 states and 20 cities. She doesn’t know how she’ll pay for it, but she knows the message: changing the stigma about drug addiction one person at a time.
DaRe, who lives in Carrollton in eastern Ohio, has been a visible figure in the battle against the scourge of opioid addiction, having testified before a U.S. Senate committee at the invitation of Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and appearing at a press conference with Gov. John Kasich.
The support group she formed, Holly’s Song of Hope, is named after her daughter, Holly Noel Jenkins, who died from a drug overdose on Oct. 12, 2012.
Marcie Miller, DaRe’s longtime friend, is joining her on the road. Miller’s daughter has struggled with drug addiction for six years.
DaRe and Miller plan to leave Thursday and visit cities such as Atlanta; Boston; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dover, Delaware; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; and Manchester, New Hampshire, before returning to Ohio in mid-August. At each stop, they will present an educational program they call Addiction 101.
They’re taking an air mattress and hope to raise their gasoline money. They will stay with members of Holly’s Song of Hope whenever possible.
“We have no idea if we have enough money to do this, but since God put it on my heart to do it, I know he’ll take care of whatever we need,” DaRe said.
“We are just two moms trying to make a difference in an epidemic that many believe has nothing to do with them,” Miller said. “We have no idea where this will lead us, but if we save one life on this journey or bring comfort to someone in need, then it will be worth it.”
DaRe said she is focused on dispelling the stigma that people addicted to drugs are bad and flawed. She educates audiences about addiction, that it is a disease that affects people of all ages, races and socioeconomic statuses. The most-important point, DaRe said, is that recovery is possible.
“If we get people to understand this disease, then we can make a real difference in what’s happening.”
Ohio has been setting records each year for deaths from drug overdoses. By calling all 88 county coroners, The Dispatch estimated that overdose deaths last year totaled at least 4,149, a 36 percent jump from 3,050 in 2015. “That is the equivalent of
747 jets crashing a year in one state,” DaRe said. “Can you imagine what would occur if we had a 747 crashing in every state once a month for a year? Local, state and federal leaders would probably shut down all air traffic completely, and millions of dollars, if not billions, would be released immediately to find out what was going on.”
DaRe and Miller will document their travels on the group’s Facebook page.