Stories
Share Your Story
This epidemic has given us one common experience: we have all become experts in our own way. At SAFE Project, we believe that we strengthen one another by sharing our stories. Whether you are in recovery, lost a loved one, or are making a difference in your community, you can help others on this journey. We’d like to hear from you.
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One Raindrop Can Start Something Bigger: Danielle Choi on the Power of Prevention
“If there is one thing that you should know about prevention, it is that it is applicable to everyone,” Danielle said. “And all it takes is one small step.” Danielle Choi has a favorite way of thinking about collaboration: raindrops. “One person is one raindroplet,” she says. Bring enough of those individual drops together, though,…
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Starting Small, Saving Lives: How Ronit Ginde Turned One Experience Into Action
“Before joining the Youth Voice Council, most of what I was doing was really focused on Narcan and overdose response,” he said. “The Youth Voice Council helped me look at prevention much more broadly.” When Ronit Ginde arrived on the scene, the young person was unconscious. As an emergency medical technician, Ronit watched his partner…
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How So Eun Kang Turned Curiosity into Action
“We have to recognize that we need to push for more prevention, awareness, and also overdose recovery,” she said. When So Eun Kang first noticed naloxone sitting beside the tables in a research lab at Case Western Reserve University, she had a simple question for her mentor: What is this?She learned that naloxone is a…
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How John “The Cat Guy” Is Using His Story to Reach Others in Recovery
John Riemenschneider shares his recovery journey, exploring addiction, stigma, and how storytelling and connection support long-term recovery.
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From “Bad Seed?” to Brain Science: Dr. Crystal Collier’s Mission to Make Prevention Practical
Dr. Crystal Collier shares a brain-based approach to youth prevention, highlighting how neurodevelopment, consistent messaging, and community support can reduce risky behaviors and build protective factors.
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How PEP is Leading Youth-Powered Prevention
What happens when you stop asking young people to participate in prevention—and start trusting them to lead it? Inside PEP, youth aren’t just part of the work. They’re driving it.
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Community Spotlight: Health Promotion Initiative Services (HIPS)
For more than three decades, HIPS has been a steady presence in Washington, D.C. They’re an organization focused on community care and overdose prevention, working primarily alongside sex workers and people who use drugs, communities that are too often pushed to the margins.
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Letter from the Senior Director of SAFE Communities
At SAFE Project, our Communities initiative exists at the intersection of policy, practice, and people. Our work is focused on strengthening the bridges between prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and reentry. From the SAFE Communities Director Rachel Bowling Hello, and happy March! I’m Rachel Bowling, the new Director of the SAFE Communities Initiative at SAFE…
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Prevention Spotlight: Nina P.
About Nina Meet Nina, one of SAFE Project’s Youth VOICE Council members. Nina resides in Texas, with a passion for self-reflection and spreading the importance of taking care of your mental health. Check out her thoughts about how she uses prevention practices on a daily basis and leans on certain rituals to overcome challenges. Why…
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Spotlight for Prevention Month: Robin Todd — Founder of Mindful Momentum
Discover how Robin Todd, founder of Mindful Momentum, is redefining recovery and workplace wellness through mindfulness. Her “Building Strong Minds” program and peer-based tools help workers reduce stress, prevent crisis, and create a culture of safety and support.