Staff photo.
More than 100 people attended the Freedom from Addiction Coalition community awareness breakfast in June 2018.
The city of Vestavia Hills will be hosting the first Freedom from Addiction Coalition breakfast of 2019 at 7:30 a.m. on April 4 at the Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church. Vestavia hosted the first ever Freedom from Addiction Coalition breakfast, as well, in 2018. Mayor Ashley Curry said the breakfasts from 2018 all averaged a couple hundred attendees, and the responses showed it was well-received.
Curry partnered with Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato and Homewood Mayor Scott McBrayer to start the coalition around this time last year, which serves as an outlet to find additional resources for those affected by addiction.
“Awareness is critical for addressing the issue. We have to accept the fact that this epidemic affects all citizens across the state and our nation,” Curry said.
Dr. Tom Dooley will be speaking at this month’s breakfast. Curry said he plans to speak about the loss of his son, Thomas Dooley Jr., as well as his current research with non-addictive drugs for addiction treatment.
In addition to Dooley's presentation, the breakfast will feature resources for those who may be affected by addiction and Curry said there will be time for consultations with some of the attending agencies after the breakfast.
“I hope attendees will leave the conferences with hope and resource agencies that can help them or a loved one,” Curry said.
No reservation is needed, and Curry said people are encouraged to bring a friend or share information about the event. Learn more at vestaviahills.org.
Editor's note: This article was updated April 3 at 11:13 a.m. to correct Tom Dooley's name.
