A Voice for Brandon

Though our Memory Walk / Recovery Run was held on a cold and rainy Saturday morning in April, we also made available a month-long virtual route for those that could not join us. This is a unique piece for our annual event as it brings together families from all over the country who could participate at their own pace and convenience. We had people from as far away as Texas, Minnesota, and New York. This is a glaring reminder that addiction has no boundaries but neither does recovery, and that it takes a village of support to end the stigma and to help families heal.

Julie Younce Lyness was our first place winner in our 2023 Memory Walk / Recovery Run virtual event. She reached 100 miles first on the virtual route to Ocean City, Maryland and allowed us to share her story of being a mother to someone struggling with addiction who ultimately found the light of recovery.

“I chose to run for Rage Against Addiction in celebration and honor of my son Brandon who is now in recovery, as well as several family members who are in various stages of addiction and recovery. During his years of active addiction, Brandon nearly lost his life to multiple overdoses. Running is the way I coped with the stress and fear I lived with daily. I spent those years terrified of losing him as I was slowly losing myself to the chaos of loving an addict. I felt alone and lived under the judgment and stigma that is all too frequently associated with addiction. I was fortunate to meet someone who led me to the support I needed for myself, and later, to the resources for Brandon when he was ready for recovery. This is how we found Voices of Hope. They were literally standing at his bedside when he came through an overdose. They took him under their wing and into rehab the very next morning. He is now in his fourth year of recovery and is an amazing father. He is holding a steady job, rebuilding his life, and looking forward to a future we weren’t sure he would ever have the chance to see. I know how blessed I am to have a healthy son and grandson, but I am also aware of just how many other mothers can never hug their child again. I believe we are losing too many of our children to addiction and it’s destroying families and communities. I feel strongly that we must stop the stigma of addiction, heal the trauma in our families, and support each other in the battle against addiction. I am proud to now be a member of the board of directors with Voices of Hope and an active voice in the community to share that recovery is possible and that every addict is a person worth loving.”

Our Memory Walk / Recovery Run was another success. We had 410 walkers, 137 runners, 74 virtual walkers, and 50 virtual runners for a total of 671 registrants. Because of the generosity from our supporters through donations and sponsorships, approximately $43,500 was raised! These contributions will benefit our valuable programs and help us to continue our mission of providing awareness and support to anyone affected by drug and alcohol abuse.

We sincerely are so very thankful for everyone who helped make our event so memorable. We will see you again next spring!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Addiction, anxiety, and depression in a post-Covid world has made mental health awareness in teens and young adults a huge topic of conversation. Learning to navigate this has been extremely challenging. Rage includes the importance of mental health awareness into its daily and weekly social media campaigns. We hope that shining the spotlight on the importance of selfcare and talking about the hard stuff helps people realize it is not going away and we need to continue to make room for more and innovated treatment for the concurring illnesses that humans struggle with.

How Can You Help?

Are you a business owner looking to contribute to your community in an easy and positive way? Check out our new fundraiser form here: rageagainstaddiction.org/host-a-fundraiser/ This is our one-stop shop for those who want to host a fundraiser: all you have to do is complete the form and wait for us to contact you for approval. Not only will your business be assisting us, you will be saving lives right here in the community you live and work in.

August is Overdose Awareness Month. While it can be a heartbreaking time of year, it can also serve as a reminder of what an overdose is and how we can help someone if they are in the middle of one, and it can also give families a chance to share pictures and stories of their loved ones.

If you want to be a part of this campaign, please consider sharing with us a story and picture of someone you have lost. We will share it on our social media pages beginning in August.

Please note:

-Please keep your story under 600 words.

-We reserve the right to edit for content.

-Please submit your details to Wendy@RageAgainstAddiction.com no later than July 25, 2023.

June 3, 2023: Come to Main Street Tower in Bel Air, MD for the annual Emily Evans Concert For Hope. Bring your family and friends, eat delicious food, and listen to talented musicians rock the day away in loving memory of those we’ve lost to addiction. Proceeds will benefit Rage Against Addiction, the Klein Family Harford Crisis Center, Addiction Connections Resource, and the Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation. For more more details and to purchase tickets, please visit emilyevansfund.org.

September 9, 2023: September is National Recovery Month, and what better way to spread the hope of recovery from substance abuse than for us to host a Basket Bingo Night Fundraiser! This event will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2023. Doors will open at 5:30pm and games will begin at 6:00pm at Abingdon Fire Hall (3306 Abingdon Road – Abingdon, MD 21009). It will be an exciting evening where the community can come together to celebrate individuals who are new to recovery or who have been on the journey for many years, and it will also give support to those still struggling with addiction.  Please purchase tickets here: rageagainstaddiction.org/event/basket-bingo-fundraiser/

We serve locally but think globally. For counseling, or for addiction, substance abuse disorder, or mental illness treatment, please contact your area’s health department, county government, hospital, or law enforcement agency.

Addiction Connections Resource: A non-profit organization that assists with providing resources and support for addiction treatment and that educates the community about substance abuse disorder. Located in Fallston, MD. Please visit here or call 443-417-7810 for more information.

Ashley Addiction Treatment: An inpatient treatment center that personalizes clinical programs based on individual need. Located in Havre De Grace, MD. Please visit here or call 800-799-4673 for information about online and in-person meeting services.

Celebrate Recovery: A local support group for those with addictive behaviors. Located in Bel Air, MD and Joppa, MD.​

Mt. Zion Church (1643 Churchville Road, Bel Air, MD 21015): every Thursday at 5:45pm. Please visit here for more information about meetings.

Mountain Christian Church (New Life Center 1802 Mountain Road, Joppa, MD 21085): every Friday at 6:00pm. Please visit here for more details.

GRASP (Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing): A local support group for those who have lost someone to addiction.

7:00pm on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.

Located in the Education Building at Mt. Zion Church: 1643 Churchville Road, Bel Air, MD 21015

Contact lisa.craig4@verizon.net for more information. The private national Facebook group is available. Please visit here to ask to join.

The Klein Family Harford Crisis Center: A clinic that provides immediate care for mental health and addiction. Located in Bel Air, MD. Please visit here or call 410-874-0711 for information about services.

Loving An Addict: A local support group for family and friends of those in active addiction.

7:00 pm every Saturday.

Located in the Education Building at Mt. Zion Church: 1643 Churchville Road, Bel Air, MD 21015

Contact lisa.craig4@verizon.net for more information.

Voices Of Hope:  An organization made up of people in recovery who advocate for behavioral health disorder prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery resources, who eliminate the stigma of addiction through outreach events and education, and who support all pathways of recovery including harm reduction and Narcan training. Located in Cecil County, MD. Please visit here or call 443-933-7055 for information about services.

Daughter’s House: Designed to assist women who are transitioning from substance abuse treatment to recovery; includes three sober living houses (Daughter’s House, Sister House, and The Cottage) located in the suburbs of Harford County, MD. Click here to visit the Facebook page.

Rage Club: This program is a resource broker for families and children who have been touched by the devastation of addiction; we encourage open and ongoing conversations as we believe that is the first step in the healing process. Click here for more information.

HALO (How to Live Without Our Addicted Loved One): An online grief support group specifically for those that lost loved ones to substance abuse. Click here to ask to join the private Facebook page. *Please read and answer the membership questions prior to joining.*

​RAA ABC (After Baby Care): Provides post-partum care packages to new mothers in early recovery.

Wendy Beck: Founder and Executive Director

Rachel Bongiorno: Recovery Coach and Daughter’s House Program Director

Mia Ellis: Newsletter Writer and Administrator

Amanda Buddenbohn: Board of Directors

Tara Kuzma: Chairman of the Board of Directors

Sarah Hoover and Michael Nesline: Rage Club was inspired by their need to heal from their own personal loss