FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – The City will host the “Say No to O’s” Opioid Crisis Seminar from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, April 26.
Middle school and high school students and their parents or guardians are invited to the free event at the Indiana Tech Andorfer Commons, located at 1600 E. Washington Blvd. Registration starts at 6:00 p.m. with some refreshments.
The seminar will be led by Mayor Tom Henry’s Youth Engagement Council and is sponsored by The Fort Wayne Police Department, Bowen Center, Indiana Tech, Reilley Trucking Inc., and The Allen County Department of Health.
Attendees will be able to hear and ask questions with experts who are actively combating the opioid crisis in the city and County. Some speakers will be Dr. Debra McMahan, the Allen County Health Commissioner and Captain Kevin Hunter of the Fort Wayne Police Department. Other speakers include a young woman who lost her mother to an overdose and a teenager who has recently completed a year of drug rehab.
The purpose of the seminar is to provide a safe and welcoming atmosphere for kids and to teach them how the opioid crisis might impact their lives. They will also learn how to get help for them or their loved ones and how to avoid becoming a victim.
“We need to do everything we can as a community to help our youth understand the magnitude of the opioid crisis to keep them from becoming victims, and to give them the right education and resources to help their loved ones, if needed,” said Mayor Henry. “I appreciate the leadership of my youth engagement council to organize a seminar to address the opioid crisis in a manner that kids their age can relate to.”
For more information on the seminar, contact Karen L. Richards from the Mayor’s Office at 260-427-2146 or karen.richards@cityoffortwayne.org.
