Overview

The NCDAF team is an all-volunteer activist group. We’ve lost six children of our own to overdose, and are motivated to doing everything we can to stop the cycle of addiction and death in our community. By partnering with other addiction and healthcare activists, healthcare providers, service providers, and government officials, we endeavor to impact all aspects of the drug crises. We organize and host town halls that continually educate, inform and empower the community regarding addiction related issues and the right to recovery services under the law. We Facilitate Narcan training classes for the community to teach them how to use Narcan effectively; We distribute Narcan throughout Central Pennsylvania to local services and places that allocate that in their budget;  monitor government activity and advance positions important to the recovery community; conduct drug education programs in the Perry, Dauphin, and Cumberland County Public Schools; and , contribute resources to private or public drug awareness initiatives and assist with financial funding for endeavors that align with the goals and objectives of NCDAF.

 

Our Mission

  • To foster awareness on all aspects of OUD, intervention and recovery assistance to the community.
  • To continually educate and inform the community on their Healthcare rights under the law, in regards to recovery services and treatment available.
  • To educate and inform the community on legislation recently passed that impact access to services, and to clearly communicate the rights as a community member and a consumer.
  • To contribute resources to private or public drug awareness initiatives and assist them with financial funding that aligns with the goals and objectives of NCDAF

 

Grass Roots Organization

  • All Volunteer – No one gets paid – ever
  • Staffed with Parents of Lost Children, Parents of Children fighting OUD(Opioid Use Disorder)
  • Adding Recovery Professionals and advocates to the board
  • Only funding is local fundraising / Donations
  • Continue to grow organically as individuals seek us out for help.

We have worked closely with Governor Tom Wolf, PA Physician-General Dr. Rachel Levine, State Representative Ron Marsico, Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick, and many more.

Nat’s Shack

NCDAF has been helping the community over the last decade  by establishing and managing a free Community Pantry, where individuals with OUD can get free food and clothing and some basic necessities. The Pantry is located in the adjacent parking lot of the Son’s & Daughters of Italy Lodge # 2857.  The Pantry focus has changed to no longer focus on clothing or food and now provides needed items for individuals entering a program.  NCDAF has partnered with HerointheFight to provide a Essentials bag which includes; deodorant, toothpaste, hair products etc.  Contact NCDAF or HITF to arrange distribution of these essential items. The Essential bag is free of charge,  

Annual National Night Out

NCDAF organizes and coordinates Central PA’s National Night Out, an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. 

Drugs 101

Beginning in 2015, NCDAF, acting in conjunction with Penn State Children’s Hospital, Hershey Medical Center, and Byrnes Health Education Center, began taking its Drugs 101 program into the public schools in Perry, Dauphin, and Cumberland Counties.  The program consists of parents, law enforcement,  coroners, first responders, and others on the front line of the drug crises manning stations the students visit to listen to real life, first-hand accounts of the tragedies that follow drug use.

Regional Town Halls

Regular Town Halls are organized and hosted by NCDAF in locations around Central Pa.  NCDAF staff the events with recovery speakers, from all professions and experiential backgrounds. These sessions include panel discussions and open Q and A, during which attendees are presented the opportunity to ask questions, pose problems, and secure immediate assistance.  NCDAF also supports sessions in the local middle schools and high schools on a request basis.

NCDAF Volunteer Meetings

The NCDAF volunteer meetings are structured to provide insight into current issues and activities relevant to the recovery community.  The meetings provide an opportunity for volunteers to meet and interact with other recovery organizations and key players in the recovery community to better position themselves to assist those in need.  NCDAF routinely secures guest speakers who are experts in their specific fields, to provide the volunteers with direct knowledge and training. 

  • Awareness Sessions
  • Guest Speakers
  • Information Sharing

 

WW Candle Light Vigil

In December of each year, a Worldwide Candlelight Vigil unfolds during which candles are lit at 7:00 p.m. local time to honor each child who died throughout the year. 2020 marks the sixth year NCDAF, in conjunction with Compassionate Friends, will be hosting and coordinating the Central Pennsylvania gathering.  Accordingly, NCDAF secures a site, disseminates event information, specifically recognizes each person who passed and those who stand to honor them, and arranges speakers and music.  In 2019 approximately 60 families were in attendance. 

Purchasing & Distributing Naloxone

Since 2016 NCDAF has purchased and distributed Narcan to organizations and families who needed it.  NCDAF has purchased hundreds of doses of Narcan and now has a training program which teaches individuals to use Narcan and provides them with a Kit after the training is completed. 

Advocacy

John serves on the Parent Panel Advisory Council (PPAC) committee created by House Bill 585, which established a parent panel charged with reporting to the Secretary of Drug and Alcohol.  PPAC represents 62 counties in Pennsylvania, and John serves as the representative for South Central including Dauphin County.  This position allows John to identify issues important to the recovery community, such as one of immediate concern, recovery access issues, treatment cost etc.  John disseminates information he gathers through his service to the NCDAF board, its volunteers and supporters, and, when appropriate, NCDAF will lend its support to initiatives in keeping with NCDAF’s charge to increase the voice of parents and loved ones of the addicted.  John also serves on PPAC’s Grief Support Subcommittee and maintains the state-wide list for the DDAP webpage.  

Want to get involved? Contact Us Today!

Click the link to complete a volunteer or sponsorship form.