Drug Addiction is an EVERYBODY problem.
Drug addiction is a problem that impacts everybody. At Saving Lives for Zachary we know all too well that drug addiction doesn't discriminate. People from all backgrounds, income and education levels, races and ethnicities are directly impacted, every day, by addiction and the seemingly insurmountable challenges and stigma it carries.
Saving Lives for Zachary believes that everybody can - and should - be part of the solution. Our goal is to raise awareness, provide youth, parents, community leaders and school leaders with education and information, and connect individuals suffering from addiction and their loved ones with help and community resources. We want to eliminate the stigma of addiction and ensure that everybody impacted by addiction can receive the compassion, help, and support they need to persevere in their journey towards healing and recovery.
Saving Lives for Zachary is a grassroots 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and informing families about the dangers of drug abuse and drug addiction. Your donation allows us to continue our educational offerings and events. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us continue Saving Lives for Zachary.
Our Story
My name is Carolyn Miele. I am the mother of six children: five sons and one daughter. I was born and raised in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
On February 6, 2016, my life and my children's lives changed forever when I arrived home to find that my third son, Zachary, had overdosed on heroin.
He was only 27 years old and had had been clean of this drug for almost three years. Losing a child is the ultimate pain a parent can experience. It is an emotional and physical pain that will never leave us and changes our being forever.
As I try to make sense of my son's death, I see young lives being lost not only in our community, but all over the United States. This is a National Crisis!
"Where is everyone?" I ask myself. No one is talking. No one is coming together to prevent these youth from dying, yet every day reports of their deaths are in the paper.
Mothers, fathers, siblings and grandparents are losing their young family members. I know how bad it hurts because I can barely move from my couch.
My son, Zachary, wanted to be clean and live a normal life. He researched heroin addiction and read many articles and shared them with me. He also tried to help others.
My goal is to raise awareness, provide education to the youth, to the parents, help the already addicted who see no way out, provide information on services available, and come together as a community to save the lives of our children.
I am committed, along with my family and many dedicated friends and supporters to raising awareness in our community. If we come together, we can make a difference.
Thank you for your support.
Love,
Carolyn
What We Do
Saving Lives for Zachary serves the community in a variety of ways:
Providing community events, workshops, and seminars to raise awareness about the growing drug crisis
Speaking at schools and other community organizations about drug use, addiction, and recovery
Connecting individuals with information about community resources for drug addiction and recovery
Combating the stereotypes, shame and stigma that discourage or prevent individuals struggling with addiction and their loved ones from seeking help
Partnering with like-minded organizations to promote drug awareness and prevention
Sponsoring the Clothing Closet at the Men's Transitional Living Center in Williamsport, PA.
Funding the Saving Lives for Zachary Scholarship
Saving Lives for Zachary in the News
"(Saving Lives for Zachary) has been dedicated...to raising awareness on drug addiction and providing education."
"Carolyn Miele embodies what it means to take a painful experience and turn it into a positive outcome."
"A big thing (Saving Lives for Zachary) has done is help wipe away the stigma (of addiction)."
"To be able to be here making that change and going through that process, this is a great start to go from Williamsport to the world,"
Clothing closet helps released inmates in Lycoming County
Williamsport clothing closet helps newly released prison inmates start anew
There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight’: Opioids epidemic wearing on coroners, departments
Community leaders receive Community Rural Health Leader of the Year Award