On Sunday, October 4, we joined 25,000 individuals and advocacy organizations for the UNITE to Face Addiction Rally on the National Mall in Washington D.C. It was a powerful, historic gathering, organized by Facing Addiction, and a culmination of grassroots advocacy efforts to organize people, communities and organizations to face addiction and stand up for recovery.
Through this first-of-its-kind event, we were able to collect more than 700 signatures, in support of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, (S.524/H.R.953) legislation that would increase addiction prevention, treatment and recovery services.
We also asked members of the crowd to share their personal stories of why they joined us that day and took a picture of their written responses, as part of the #howmanyfamilies photo campaign.
Our “I Thought I Knew” video, a brief Partnership documentary by award-winning director and photographer Pamela Hanson, highlighting the true stories of people affected by substance abuse, was shown prior to the final act of the night and drew a roar of applause from the audience.
On the following day, October 5th, the Partnership and our volunteer families participated in an advocacy day with key members of the House and Senate to garner federal support for CARA. A total of nearly 5,000 petition signatures supporting CARA were hand-delivered to these Members of Congress.
In case you weren’t able to join these momentous events, visit our Facebook page to find out what else you missed.