Losing a relative to drugs is a hard thing, and it’s even harder when the relative is one’s own child. But instead of falling into despair, Brian and Lea Apostolakis funded Fighting for Alyssa (FFA), which raises money on behalf of the memory of their 21-year-old daughter, who wanted to become a drug abuse counselor. FFA managed to raise $300,000 for Akron Children’s Hospital’s brand-new addiction treatment program, out of a total of $800,000 in donations. The program currently focuses on prevention and education, but will soon be adding intervention and outreach care once the program has gotten firm ground under its feet.
An addiction treatment program is helping children at Akron’s Children Hospital, Ohio who struggle with substance use disorder in Summit County.
Akron Children’s Hospital’s new addiction treatment program is receiving $800,000 in funding from donations, including $300,000 from a family that lost one of their family members to opioid abuse.
Brian and Lea Apostolakis lost their 21-year-old daughter Alyssa to opioid abuse. For years Alyssa wanted to become a drug abuse counselor. However, due to her own issues with substance abuse, she was not able to fulfill that goal. Now, her parents have donated money in her name to help make her goal a reality.
In 2015, they founded Fighting for Alyssa (FFA) which was a nonprofit organization devoted to the awareness, prevention and treatment of substance abuse in the community. Their primary focus is adolescents and young adults who struggle with substance use disorder.