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Light Drizzle RipLB marks its one-year anniversary
There is no greater privilege than to witness and be a part of those who wish to create and bring about positive change, which is why it gives me great joy to announce that RipLB will be celebrating its first anniversary! RipLB is a group of concerned citizens who first gathered together Feb. 22 last year to address the heroin epidemic and mental health issues that have been tragically touching and claiming too many precious lives.
RipLB is an amazing group of caring volunteers who placed their attention on creating awareness about addiction, prevention, resources, advocacy and networking opportunities via community workshops and events. It has certainly been an incredible year that began with our “Don't Run, Call 911 — Good Samaritan Law.”
It was a true community effort that enabled us to display flyers throughout local businesses and buses, which are still on display. From this effort, we moved forward with the L.B. Talks series, which brought together fellow community leaders and professionals to share insights with our group. These speakers included Elizabeth Treston, a member of Long Beach Community Organizations Active in Disasters; Dr. Joseph Smith, of Long Beach Reach; and Frank Haggerty and Austin Glickman, of TriVirtus.
As the warmer months arrived, RipLB participated in Kennedy Plaza's Farmers’ Market and the Barrier Beach Blues & Arts Festival. We also took part in the Turn the Tide — Families in Support of Treatment RipLB event at Long Beach Middle School on July 25, a wonderful mix organizations and speakers who came together to share valuable resources, inspirational stories of recovery and networking opportunities. These events complimented the advocacy work RipLB participated in when we joined FIST at a recovery rally held in Albany, where we successfully called on our senators to pass legislation for recovery support, new regulations and access to treatment.
During the latter part of the year, RipLB continued its mission by hosting a series of educational workshops focused on addiction, co-dependency, prevention, suicide prevention, and stress management, among others.
