OCEAN CITY — With the scourge of heroin and opiate addiction hitting closer to home seemingly every day, a hard-hitting presentation is planned Saturday in the resort that will help continue to hammer the message home.
Live Wire Media, Kids are Dying Delmarva and The Dispatch will host critically acclaimed guest speaker Michael DeLeon for an inspiring and heart-felt presentation on the ongoing battle against the heroin and opiate addiction epidemic sweeping the nation and this community.
For the last 15 years, DeLeon, an addict himself, has worn out the tires on his vehicle taking his message to schools and community gatherings throughout the mid-Atlantic region and across the country. On Saturday, DeLeon brings his message to the Roland E. Powell Convention Center at 1 p.m. The presentation is free and will be followed by a question-and-answer period.
Brad Hoffman of Live Wire Media, which produces a variety of special events including car shows and surf contests and everything in between, conceived of the idea of bringing DeLeon to Ocean City after meeting with long-time friend Ruthie Chavis, who is fighting her own battle with addiction in her family. Chavis showed Hoffman a video presentation from DeLeon and Hoffman knew he had to reach out to the motivational speaker.
Hoffman said he conceived of the idea after a couple of heroin overdose deaths hit particularly close to home. Not sure how to help or where to start, Hoffman headed to social media to help get the word out about the growing epidemic.
“I had enough,” he said. “I just wanted to reach out and attempt to articulate what was going on in the community because a lot of people kind of knew but didn’t know what to do about it.”
Within an hour or so, his Facebook rant had received 400 “likes” and 120 comments. It was a start, but Hoffman began to envision something bigger and better. Soon after, he pitched the idea to Chavis.
“I got together with Ruthie and we talked about all of this and she showed me the video with Michael DeLeon,” he said. “Here I was trying to figure out how to reach people and he was already half way down the field with this. That video really drew me into this even further and that was the catalyst for trying to get him here.”
Hoffman said pooling the various resources together to get DeLeon to come to Ocean City for free created some challenges, but it was a labor of love.
“One of the skills I have is bringing people together,” he said. “I’m sick of people dying and this is affecting my friends and their children and their families. Maybe we can save just one kid and that will be worth it, or maybe everyone that comes out of this event can do something to save one kid.”
Hoffman said he has seen the heroin epidemic move from the blighted urban areas to suburban communities and even resort areas like Ocean City.
“Obviously, growing up here and living here, I’ve seen the slide toward this,” he said. “It’s a bulldozer of death and it’s affecting families and kids we all know and affecting the community as a whole. This is touching all socio-economic groups and every facet of our community.”
Making a difference requires understanding the scope of the problem and learning from those who have been through it. Hoffman said DeLeon’s message on Saturday should deliver on both.
“He’s an amazing resource,” he said. “If they can find the time to come, it will be worth their while to be there. I know it’s Memorial Day Saturday, but if they can set aside a four-hour break from the beach or the barbeque it will all be worth it.”
Hoffman said while DeLeon will be the featured speaker, he will serve as host and there will be other speakers from health officials and law enforcement to recovering addicts and those still embroiled in the scourge. It promises to be informative and thought-provoking, but one thing it will not be is sugar-coated.
“We don’t want to soft-sell it,” he said. “It’s ugly and it’s scary and it has to be in your face.”
Chavis said she will be one of the speakers and hopefully her message resonates with the community.
“It’s a nightmare,” she said. “It has destroyed my family and it has separated my family. I needed to find a way to get that message out and maybe help save other families in our community.”
An excerpt from DeLeon’s website illustrates how the heroin epidemic is showing up in unexpected places including the well-groomed, manicured neighborhoods where bad things don’t typically happen.
“I was raised by two amazing parents in a very good place with very good people,” he said. “I wasn’t raised to be a drug addict and a gang member, yet that is what I became. I caused havoc in my life and hurt many people, but now, for the rest of my life, I am committed to use my past to change the future of as many youth and young adults as I possibly can. I didn’t think what happened to me could happen to me, but it did. I am hoping that I can make such a difference that it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
