Samantha Ducharme- Forever 28
1/10/1990 – 7/24/2018 “There is absolutely nothing worse than losing your child- NOTHING”. Bar…
RAD HEARTSTRINGS believes a healthy life is a life that consists of- Food, Safety, Shelter, Clothing, Education, and Equal Access to Care.
Every 8 minutes..a loved one dies.
And another 8 minutes….
561 people pick up for the first time every day
It is NOT other people’s families!
The rapid rise in HEP C and HIV cases has made this not only a safety concern but a PUBLIC Health Emergency. Florida and specifically Duval County, followed closely by Nassau County have the highest “newly diagnosed cases” of each.
It is your FAMILY.
Won’t you help us to help them?
We are on our way! We’ve received the doilies, the leather, the name tags, the Tea Cups. There’s been such a response there are 100 more Tea Cups on the way.
What a beautiful display of Remembrance, Love, and Honor. We are providing the first 100 Tea Cups. Once you become a Tea Cup Holder you will always be a Tea Cup holder and represented at every event. This is not an annual send your information Memorial.
“Leather and Lace” Tea Cup Memorial will include your loved ones Tea Cup, the Leather or Lace doilies. Leather will be used for the men. Lace and crochet doilies will be used for the women. Yes, we have pink and blue for the babies, children lost entirely too early. The purple ribbon and white organza we tie to every Tea Cup. There is nothing as breathtaking and heartfelt as walking into the event room and seeing all those dancing, flickering flames that live on and help us by just being there- to soften hearts and open minds to what we need our legislators, communities, medical professionals to hear and feel.
Every Tea Cup Holder will also be printed and placed on the Tea Cup banner that accompanies the Tea Cups to all events. We do NOT charge parents for their lost loved ones to be placed on a banner. Others do- We do NOT!
The Tea Cups are $15.00 and lovely. Decorated with love and care. They just bring tears to my eyes.
Please if you have questions- email: TeacupMemorial@gmail.com Subject line: Tea Cups
The first stop we were hoping for would be the Governor’s Mansion. The First Lady has already inquired about them and that is her desire. There are 67 Counties in Florida. We hope to meet with leadership in all. We have sent a Save the Date. However, with Covid- We are being very careful in penning down dates. I would expect our Tea Cups to hit the road soon. Hopefully, Summer of 2021.
**We did, and I feel comfortable in saying- The Holiday events, were postponed due to Covid. I believe it was the only responsible thing we could do.**
My heartfelt thanks to all the Mothers who have already paid it forward for Moms, siblings, Spouses struggling. Just to ensure another Tea Cup is lit and Honored. ️
Please donate, even if you are not a Tea Cupholder. Just someone whose life has been negatively impacted or you’d like to sponsor a family who has lost their loved one. We all need a little help from time to time.
Leather and Lace Tea Cup Memorial
We are here to help and to encourage members of an area to step up and start closing the “gaps”, the “needs” of their community. We actively engage community members who desire change within their neighborhood to put their “Boots on the Ground” along with ours. To ensure that everyone within that community is involved at some level. To encourage and support the changes necessary- Our first priorities are those who have fallen prey to a host of outside factors.
We received a grant for originally 5,000 pounds of food a month. Over the course of 2 months it’s been increased to 10,000. That was all perishable so we had to make up kits, bigger than kits! And get that food out on the streets.
Our volunteers stayed out for 2 days. Until everything was gone. You’ll see tons of fresh stuff- salads, wraps, fruit, yogurt, cakes, pies, tarts- They wouldn’t keep so it had to be delivered and handed out quickly with no notice or even a couple days to get word on the street. I wasn’t throwing any of it out. It’s needed and necessary!
We fed 3 homeless camps- 35 folks on the street and into Clay county.
“Narcan from RAD Heartstings has supplied 5 recovery homes for a total of 20 residents in Akron Ohio, 2 homes in Cleveland Ohio 10 residents, and 5 residents in Canton Ohio.
10 people were administered narcan from the outreach team between March 2020 and April 2021, NONE resulted in fatalities and ALL were offered and received ongoing support. From those, 6 are still in contact and still sober to date.”
Denny Wilson
Wilson Empowerment
Author, Creator and Executive Producer- Recovery House Rescue
We cannot “make” anyone go to an ER. Most will not. Due to the shame and stigma, they have been met with inside a medical facility filled with “professionals”. On many occasions, the only way we can get them to go is to take them ourselves and stay. Almost, as “guardians” and “gatekeepers” of their Humanity. Calling out Dr.’s and Nurses, who should know better but don’t.
It is with such stigma that many- will prefer to “tough it out”- which usually means dying versus being treated sub-human. We do our best with the supplies we have and can get.
Wound care is one of the most expensive items anyone working in this area will encounter.
Offering street care is our next best option and making certain the person knows how to care for that particular wound. How often to clean, how to clean, antibiotic sprays, ointment, germ shield, packings, dressings, bandaging.
We are not physicians! We do, sometimes, have nurses that donate their time. As well as a handful of compassionate and caring Doctors! A HUGE THANK YOU TO YOU ALL! We are fortunate to have that!
(This section I credit to a great friend, ally, advocate, truth speaker, and seeker!)
With increasing reports of first responders exposed to opioid overdose patients, overdose scenes, and even loose powdered opioids, there is a significant amount of concern regarding the risks associated with this type of exposure.
MYTH 1: FENTANYL CAN BE ABSORBED THROUGH THE SKIN BY TOUCHING IT.
FALSE. ABSOLUTELY FALSE! Fentanyl powder is essentially not absorbed through the skin. and would take MASSIVE amounts over a long time
MYTH 2: FENTANYL POWDER CAN GET IN THE AIR AND BE INHALED.
This would only be an issue in settings with EXTREME air movement as powdered opioids DO NOT aerosolize.
MYTH 3: NEW POTENT SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS ARE EVEN MORE DANGEROUS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS.
Even extremely potent analogs such as Carfentanil behave the same as fentanyl in passive exposure.
For more info on WTF- http://www.naemsp.org/Documents/Press%20Releases/NAEMSP%20Toxicology%20Press%20Release.pdf
Our first priorities are those who have fallen prey to a host of outside factors. Those who have fallen prey to Substance Use Disorder, Trauma, Systemic racism and poverty, mental health issues, and to those who have had interaction with the criminal justice system.
Hopefully, together we can change the direction of the community and get that neighborhood back to focusing on what each deserves- That Happy, Healthy, Successful Life.
We believe that creating unity within a community to care for their neighborhoods is the most effective way to attain safety, love, compassion, and with the help of our wonderful and experienced volunteer’s assist in getting communities on board.
Your generosity makes our work possible.
Send your comments and a photo to remember your loved one.
Help physically and volunteer with us!
Aesop
Volunteer with us today! We could use your help to bring positive changes into our community.
Narcan kits distributed
Food Goods by pound
Toiletries & Hygiene Kits
1/10/1990 – 7/24/2018 “There is absolutely nothing worse than losing your child- NOTHING”. Bar…
9/16/1961 – 8/2017 “Fight to Live” Alexandra Guba ~ Fiance to Tommy Armstrong
9/22/1961 – 6/21/2020 “ I’m late because I found a dog, a plant, someone who needed a friend.”…
12/19/2000 – 4/4/2020 A favorite quote of mine. “What we have done for ourselves alone dies wi…
8/7/2002-7/26/2020 “I can’t stop counting the days since you left. The best parts of me died with yo…
2/14/1991- 4/29/2016 & 4/26/1988- 3/14/2013 “I thought losing one child was devastating. But, wh…
“My heart is broken. My mind forever numb. The thought of a world without you in it- Unimaginable.” …
10/16/1993 – 11/29/2016 “Not a day goes by without you on my mind…if only” #…
05-09-95 to 11-24-16 Forever 21 I never thought your light would go out, so young and filled with po…
7/7/1990 – 11/24/2018 “You were my firstborn, my only daughter, the light of my life- My Daugh…
9/23/1979 – 5/31/2015 ”Everyone is somebody’s somebody, not a nobody” Aline Lomastro~Jay’s Mom
2/28/1996 – 5/12/2017 “ And that was the day I died, changed. I lost myself. I crumbled. Then,…
3/22/1996 – 3/9/2015 “”My ears are deaf from the sound of my heart breaking. Knowing you will …
7/6/1995 – 5/23/2017 ”My daughter, Alissa loved her cats. Sambuca, Scooter. Smokey & Shado…
”Forever my always.” May you keep shining like the August Moon from above. You were my best friend, …
My sister, Yaritza Rollan (better known as Yaya ) dedicated her entire life to the arts. She tattooe…
RADHEARTSTRINGS is a 501c3, recognized Federal and State nonprofit
EIN number 85-3950638
State Exemption 85-8018378270C-7
As any nonprofit- we stay working for the betterment of communities through Donations, Corporate Sponsors and volunteers. We ask for your help in continuing our work!
We more importantly are: Moms, Dads, Spouses, Siblings, Lovers, and Friends who have lost someone to the disease of Addiction. RAD is also those in Recovery – who get exactly where you are. It’s where we’ve been. Where we would still be without a hand UP. Not a hand out- a hand UP. Someone you can trust, tell your story too- Unashamed and know no one will judge you.
There are MANY in our communities’ who are still in active use. It is not our place to judge or demand sobriety. It’s our place to keep individuals and their families as safe as possible, with Safe supplies, Narcan, Food, Warmth, Toiletries, Hygiene needs, Community clean up’s and Health drives
WE PROMISE TO LOVE YOU UNTIL YOU CAN LOVE YOURSELF. LOVE-Free from shame. Free from judgement and Free from Stigma.