By Eliza PARTIKA

CV Cares and the iMPACT Foundation, Glendale non-profits focused on mental wellness and overdose prevention for youth and young adults, held a speaking engagement on March 18 to raise awareness of the prevalence of overdoses in Glendale. The event, titled “250 Fentanyl Overdoses in the Community in 2022,” targeted teens and preteens who might be exposed to drugs and alcohol addiction. Parents attended the event, held at the CV Armenian Youth Center, to learn how to talk to their child about addiction and to learn how to recognize in their teens the signs of addiction and overdose. 

Victoria Malone, founder of the iMPACT Foundation and a parent of a child who overdosed, said she wanted to provide an opening for families to access resources and information about opioids in our community. 

“I want people to know they are not alone; there is a community of support and awareness and conversation are key to keeping our students safe,” she said. 

Resources were made available for parents and students with tabling materials including the iMPACT Foundation LA resource catalog, IFLA & CV Cares brochures, drug education slider cards – customized with CV Cares information – several info sheet/flyers, free Narcan kits and free fentanyl test kits, all introduction touchpoint materials. 

The CV Armenian Youth Center asked for the presentation, in part to address opioids in their own community, said Malone.  

“It is important to me as the founder and executive director of iFLA and the program director of CV Cares that we are working to support the communities within the community. Access, information and resources to all demographics of the community is vital if we choose to have a safe and well-cared community,” she told the CV Weekly in an email. 

Several parents asked questions after the presentation and everyone who approached the resources table walked away with something that was helpful or interesting to them – whether brochures, stress balls, Narcan or test kits. 

Malone said these presentations are a “commitment to the community” and a dedication to “supporting individuals and families affected by addiction, mental health challenges and emotional isolation.” It is, in the words of the iMPACT Foundation’s mission, “the belief that healing is possible when people are given access to the right support systems.”

Malone addressed misconceptions about opioids and fentanyl in her presentation, including that opioids only affect “bad people” or “bad families,” and that fentanyl is a choice. In her presentation, she explained that after her son Chace died from an overdose there was no indication he was attempting to take his life but rather that he was trying to turn his life around. She explained that with the number of things fentanyl is laced into, taking a life-threatening opiate is often not a choice. 

“When [people] believe they are going through something others do not understand, or that they will be judged, or they feel shame about their thoughts, they isolate. They keep things to themselves and instead of being a ‘burden’ they try to self-medicate. With fentanyl being added to so many other substances, including vapes, the person may not have chosen to take fentanyl. And when someone is struggling, they are looking for relief from the struggle, not choosing to be a drug addict nor to kill themselves,” she said. “As a society, we need more education rather than limited or skewed opinions [on opioids and the people who take them].”

For Malone, the importance of her work at the iMPACT Foundation lies in her ability to support young people. 

“This work is a promise to those who struggle because they are unsure where they fit in this world. When life feels hostile or unclear – especially to young people – how do they find their way forward? It is a promise to the friends and family who knew Chace at his best – not through the lens of the disease that ultimately took him from us. And it is a promise to the young people in my community: I see you. I hear you. And I want to support you,” she said. 

Anyone who is in need of resources or help can explore the iMPACT Foundation LA website: https://theimpactfoundationla.org/. There is also a list of hotlines that provide a direct connection to support and a parent toolkit, vetted and compiled by iMPACT Foundation’s Parent Sector members with lived experience.