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NORTHWEST WAYNE

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Northwest Wayne FAN is back to in-person forums at a NEW LOCATION! We are meeting the first Monday of every month from 6 to 8 pm at the Hype Recreation Center of Western Wayne, located at 4635 Howe Rd., Wayne, MI 48184. If you're unable to attend, the forums will also be available live via our Facebook page at THIS LINK

The Northwest Wayne County FAN chapter began with conversations--among parents who had lost children to heroin overdose; among family members struggling with loved ones in active addiction; and among treatment professionals dealing with families in desperate need of resources and support. There was growing awareness of FAN chapters in other parts of the state that were offering families support, working to end stigma, and creating positive change in the treatment of addiction in the community. FAN chapters existed in Macomb, Genesee, and Kent Counties, and at least eight chapter regions existed in Oakland County. But there was not a single FAN chapter in Wayne County.  A group of us living in northwestern Wayne County--all impacted by addiction in one way or another--decided it was time to change that.
 

Too often, families are left to struggle with the burdens of addiction on their own, feeling ashamed and stigmatized. We strive to provide families, friends, and recovering people a place to come together and realize that they are not alone, that addiction is in fact a disease, and that this disease can be managed if we all do our part.  Our monthly forum offers a support network for those affected by addiction.  Through guest speakers and personal stories, we aim to raise awareness and provide education.      
   
Our mission is to save lives by empowering individuals and communities through education, prevention, and support.  By partnering with treatment professionals, the legal community, public safety, schools, and other help organizations, we hope to facilitate change in the way addiction is viewed and treated in our community.

 

 
CONTACT US:

248-767-9412
nwwayne@familiesagainstnarcotics.org

MONTHLY MEETING

1st Monday of the Month

(Changes may occur due to holidays or special events)

6:00 - 8:00 pm

Hype Recreation Center

4635 Howe Rd.

Wayne, MI 48184

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2nd & 4th Tuesday

of the Month

6:30 - 8:30 pm

ONLINE via ZOOM
Meeting ID: 402 899 9671
Password: 604110

GRIEF SUPPORT 

For Grief Support, Contact the New Hope Center for Grief Support

New Hope Center for Grief Support (See Their Program for Loss from Overdose)

https://newhopecenter.net/

Northwest Wayne FAN Forum

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To view the sponsors and photos from our golf outing, click HERE. We can't wait to see you all again next year!

For more Northwest Wayne FAN Family Forum videos, please visit our YouTube channel at THIS LINK.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Lauren Rousseau
President

Lauren Rousseau is a professor of law at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.  From 2010 to 2012, she was legal guardian of a young man who became addicted to heroin, and who lost his life after multiple attempts at treatment. Professor Rousseau’s experience with this young man affected her profoundly, starting her on a path of service to families struggling with addiction. In addition to her role as president of the Northwest Wayne County FAN chapter, Professor Rousseau serves on the board of directors of Access to Bankruptcy Court, a nonprofit corporation that provides free legal representation to low-income clients. Professor Rousseau has organized and presented at symposiums focused on addiction and the heroin/opioid epidemic, and co-presented a webinar for the State Bar of Michigan on this subject. She is one of the founders of Unite to Face Addiction--Michigan, which organized a statewide rally in June of 2016 to bring awareness and eliminate stigma associated with addiction.  In September of 2016, Professor Rousseau was honored by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as one of its “Class of 2016 Women in the Law," in recognition of her work to raise awareness regarding addiction and to improve access to treatment. Prior to joining WMU Cooley, Professor Rousseau served as vice president, general counsel of a local automotive supplier; senior litigation attorney at Ford Motor Company; and associate attorney at the law firm Dykema Gossett.

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Dara Cockrum
Vice President

Dara Cockrum is a Sr. Speciality Representative for Orexo. She is a graduate of Central Michigan University and has been in the healthcare field for 23 years, 9 of which have been in the area of addiction, working extensively with addiction medicine specialists, pharmacists, addiction counselors, and detoxification centers. She has been active in several community programs and organizations throughout metropolitan Detroit to help better our communities. Dara currently serves on the Southeast Michigan Alliance for Addiction-Free Communities (SEEMAC) through the Michigan Public Health Institute, is a former CCBHC Advisory Board member for Hegira Health, Inc., and a workgroup member for Michigan House Representative Phil Green. Her passion runs deep for this disease state. Because of Dara's involvement with Orexo and passion for helping others, she wanted to give back and join FAN to help her community. Her main goal is to provide collaboration between legal, medical, law enforcement, and treatment and prevention groups. Educating our administrators, teachers, and youth through the schools is another area Dara feels compelled to help in. She hopes to help patients and families get their dignity back and not feel so isolated being caught up in the midst of this disease.

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Jessica Hillen
Assistant Vice President

Jessica Hillen is a Licensed Master Social Worker and has been working in the field of substance use disorders (SUD) since 2014. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2010 with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Criminology. Just prior to her graduation, Jessica experienced a significant personal loss related to an accidental overdose of a family member. Following that loss, she decided that she wanted to devote her life to helping fight the stigma of addiction, and went on to complete a Master’s in Social Work from Wayne State University. During her graduate studies, Jessica spent time learning and training at detox and residential treatment programs. She previously worked as an outpatient therapist treating those with SUD. Jessica has been an employee of St. Mary Mercy Hospital since 2014 and was in charge of their Intensive Outpatient Program from 2015 to 2020. After changes related to the pandemic, she took on a new role within the hospital. This new role of SUD Specialist allows her to work within a multidisciplinary team of providers where she evaluates, collaborates, and offers support to patients hospitalized with a SUD. She also serves as the Lead Behavioral Specialist for Chemical Dependency and oversees the clinicians of the SUD departments within the hospital. With her combined personal and professional experience, Jessica’s hope is to be a resource and support for anyone affected by the disease of addiction.

Judge Laura Redmond Mack
Secretary

Laura Mack recently retired as District Judge for the 29th District Court in Wayne. She was Chief Judge of that court for 16 years. She is currently a director for the Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals and Families Against Narcotics’ Northwest Wayne County chapter, and is President of the Rotary Club of Wayne. She also serves on the State Court Administrative Office Mental Health Advisory Committee, the Governor’s Mental Health Diversion Council Incompetent to Stand Trial Workgroup, and on the Wayne County Jail Diversion Committee. Judge Mack continues to preside, together with Judge Breeda O’Leary, over the Western Wayne County Regional Behavioral Treatment Court (RBTC), which originated in October, 2013. The RBTC is a dynamic collaboration between the criminal justice and community mental health systems. In 2015, the program expanded to include 11 Wayne County District Courts. During her tenure at the 29th District Court, Judge Mack also started teen court, truancy diversion, eviction diversion, and internship programs to further collaboration among disparate systems to solve community problems. In 2017, she was honored to receive a distinguished Woman in Law award from Michigan Lawyers Weekly for her mental health and other outreach activities. Before her appointment to the bench in 2003, Judge Mack practiced law in the areas of tax, estate, and retirement planning at Seyburn Kahn, P.C. in Southfield.

Kelly O'Reilly
Treasurer

Kelly has a daughter who has been fighting the battle against heroin for more than eight years, and she knows all too well the hardships that parents face when their loved ones are struggling with addiction. Kelly is passionate about raising awareness about the dangers of drug misuse and addiction, educating the public, and helping to support families that are dealing with loved ones in recovery or in active addiction. Kelly is a warm-hearted, caring person who puts others before herself, and exhibits this as an active volunteer member in her community.  She is making it her life mission to positively improve the statistics in the battle against this ongoing drug epidemic.  

BOARD MEMBERS

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Chief Ryan Strong
Director

Ryan Strong is the chief of police at the Wayne Police Department, where he has worked since 1999. Chief Strong has served in various roles at the department, including patrol officer, sergeant, and lieutenant in charge of the detective bureau. He is passionate about officer wellness. The holder of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University, Chief Strong is an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at Ferris State University and Baker College. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time on Lake Michigan with his family, running, and hiking.

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Samantha Carducci
Director

Samantha Carducci is a Masters Level Social Worker and a graduate of Eastern Michigan University. She is a proud member of the National Association of Social Workers, Michigan Chapter. She began her clinical career providing psychotherapy for geriatric clients with severe and persistent mental illness in the Older Adult Services program at Neighborhood Service Organization, a nonprofit community mental health provider located in Detroit. She currently provides mental health services to inmates at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in the Michigan Department of Corrections. She has spent years working with dual-diagnosed clients that face the challenges of mental illness and co-morbid substance abuse disorders. She is passionate about political advocacy, restorative justice, and volunteer work in the community that supports all such clients and family members. She is in long-term recovery from addiction.

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Vicki Berger
Director

Bio coming soon.

ADVISORY BOARD

Michele Baldori

Recovery High School and Adolescent SUD Clinician

Growth Works

 

Joseph Bialy

Lieutenant

Canto Police Department

 

Karen Bonanno

Executive Director

Livonia Save Our Youth Coalition

 

Sarah Bono

Sanford House

 

Dr. Carl Christensen, MD

Medical Director

Dawn Farm

 

Rabih Darwiche

SAFE Coalition

Hype Athletics

 

Melissa Daub

Wayne County Commissioner

 

Judy Davis

Director of SUD Services

Detroit Integrated Health Network

 

Elise DuBois, MA, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

DuBois Counseling

Dr. Michael Fox, D.O.

Addiction and Family Practice Physician

 

Allison Herrst, CPRC, CPRM

Supervisor, Rescue Recovery

Peer Support Services

Community Intervention & Treatment

Growth Works

 

Andrew Hopson

Founding Member of NW Wayne FAN

Jeff Jedrusik

Chief of Police

Westland

 

The Honorable Sean Kavanagh

Judge

16th District Court (Livonia)

 

Richard Kummert

Lieutenant

Westland Police Department

Alan Maciag

Chief of Police

Northville

DesaRay Maier

Therapist

Beginning Step

 

The Honorable Mark McConnell

Judge

18th District Court

 

Tonya Napolitano

Operations Manager

Core Title LLC

 

Chris O’Droski

Peer Recovery Program Manager

Hegira Health

 

The Honorable Breeda O’Leary

Judge

29th District Court

 

Joseph Paliwoda

Chief Executive Officer

Personalized Nursing Lighthouse

 

The Honorable James Plakas

Judge

35th District Court

 

Scott Schadel

Program Manager – Therapy

Easter Seals MORC

 

Lisa Sellinger

Sellinger Associates

Yoga Instructor

 

Jason Schwartz

Director of Social Work and Spiritual Care

Michigan Medicine

 

Angela Spino

Certified Prevention Specialist, Certified Peer Recovery Mentor, & Project Coordinator

Detroit Recovery Project’s Prevention Team

 

Lauren Sundstrom

Therapist

Lincoln Behavioral Health

 

Eric Turczyn

PC Alano Club

 

Carol Zuniga

Chief Executive Officer

Hegira Health

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