Second annual Night of HOPE to be held April 21 at Cutting Edge Youth Center

The 2nd Annual Night of HOPE presented by Taylor County Drug Opposition Partners will be held on Friday, April 21 from 5-7 p.m. at the Cutting Edge Youth Center in Medford.

It is a free family event which will include Pure Performance Student Tables (Raiders Committed and Rib Lake Culture of Champions), a motivational speaker, information about drug free choices, information about the “Day Without Hate in Rib Lake,” and information from AODA Resource Agencies.

In addition there will be family activities including pool and foosball tables, family board and card games, dance music by Woller Productions, Kraft Kuddly Kritters Petting Zoo, pizza for dinner as well as opportunities to win prizes.

The Faces of Addiction and Recovery Quilt will also be on display.

According to the Megan Kelly Foundation, “The Wisconsin Faces of Addiction and Recovery Quilts visually show the impact addiction has made on our Wisconsin families, communities and State. I often hear people say these quilts have shattered their perceptions of what someone looks like in the different facets of addiction. The media portrayals of people who are addicted are far from accurate. In reality the faces of addiction are our mothers, fathers, siblings, cousins, friends who all had a genetic propensity to addiction and through continued use of illicit drugs became addicted. Addiction is not a choice.

The Wisconsin Faces of Addiction and Recovery Quilts are living quilts that travel throughout the State of Wisconsin. The red squares represent those who are struggling in active addiction. The gray squares represent those who are incarcerated for their addiction-Wisconsin incarcerates the highest number of African Americans and Native Americans in the world. The white squares represent hope and success in recovery. The black squares tragically represent those who have lost their lives to their addiction . . . it may not have been their addiction i.e. there are approximately 20 children 4 and under who are on the Quilts who died as a result of negligence/neglect/abuse from a parent or grandparent. There are four police officers who were killed in the line of duty as a result of someone else’s addiction.”

Bev Kelley-Miller founded The Megan Kelley Foundation after her daughter, Megan, Forever 22, died from a heroin overdose on April 14, 2015. Addiction is a family disease that affects one in every three families. Often the stigmas of addiction prevent people from openly talking about the devastating effects of addiction. The mission of the Megan Kelley Foundation is to raise awareness about addiction and to bring a message of hope through education and prevention efforts to students, parents and community members.