Awards
Can you tell us about yourself and your story? "I come from a background of recovery. Growing up, I saw a mixed perspective of how alcoholism and drug addiction affected my family and myself. After losing my first friend to an overdose when I was 20 years old, I quickly grew aware of how serious the opioid issue was in this country. Over the years I have lost dozens of friends to opioid overdoses and unfortunately I continue to lose friends even today. Having over 8 years sober myself, I am very fortunate that my using never resulted in an overdose and I knew I had to find a way to give back and be of service to my community in some way to fight back against the opioid/fentanyl crisis." What inspired you to volunteer for End Overdose? "I first started working in festival environments with The Consciousness Group, a sober group of ravers at Insomniac Events, back in 2014. Through that experience I discovered Ground Control and by 2022 I was working with Ground Control at most insomniac events. That is where I found End Overdose and got involved by proxy, helping out where I could and bringing people to the tent but not officially a volunteer yet. After a couple years of working with End Overdose by proxy, I finally signed up and became an official volunteer this last August. I most recently became part of the grant writing team for End Overdose and I am continuously motivated to allocate funds towards the goals and projects through multiple approaches in fundraising because I know how serious this issue is on a personal level and will fight tooth and nail to make sure people get the help they need."
Tiffany is a member of our University of Washington chapter, and as the team lead at Beyond Wonderland at the Gorge, oversaw the distribution of 2,000 doses of naloxone. Tiffany is currently getting her degree in Public Health and Neuroscience and is planning to pursue a career in addiction medicine.
Congratulations to our volunteer of the month Grey Savo! He's a highly valued member of the End Overdose family who has trained people on how to save a life at countless events in Southern California.
Aspen Hough is our June volunteer of the month! Director of Operations AJ Banuelos says, “No matter the distance, Aspen is always willing to raise awareness and spread life-saving resources. Traveling over 3 states, and leading Breakaway KC, Aspen is a valuable member of the End Overdose team whose passion and drive are one of a kind!”
We'd like to recognize End Overdose at the University of Alabama founder/president Hayden Rutter as our volunteer of the month! He's led the charge at Bama where his chapter has trained thousands of students, distributed thousands of doses of naloxone and test strips, and become the mandatory trainer of Greek life on how to identify/respond to an overdose. Hayden just graduated Cum Laude from the University of Alabama Honors College with a degree in biology! Congrats and thanks for all of your work!
We'd like to congratulate our co-volunteer of the month Xochilt Resendiz! She's a pre-health student at UCLA and all-star volunteer who has trained extensively at events in Los Angeles (and across the country at Project Glow)!
Director of External Affairs & Programs Gianna Uy extensively praised Gracie for leading fundraising events at CU Boulder that have raised over $15k for End Overdose in the last month. Gracie organized Flatiron Fest, a hockey tournament, flea markets, and other amazing events in Boulder! Because of her, we’re able to continue our efforts to educate and provide lifesaving resources in the Boulder community and beyond.
Aubrie has volunteered across the country for End Overdose at Electric Forest, Hard Summer, Lost Lands, Escape, Apocalypse After Party, Countdown NYE, and more. She’s worked as a shift lead for most of these events and was a festival lead at Countdown NYE. “Aubrie is a highly trusted and dependable volunteer!” says Director of Events Nina Weisbrod.
We want to shine a light on the people whose efforts make our resources free and accessible to all, so we’re excited to share our February Volunteer of the Month: Sam Kieffer! Director of Operations AJ Banuelos has this to say about Sam’s work: “Sam Kieffer has been a dedicated volunteer since day one at his first event NIGHTSCENE in July 2022. With a willingness to always show up and spread life saving knowledge and resources for End Overdose – and a charismatic, always great attitude – Sam is a dedicated member to this team who is truly loved and valued for all his hard work and dedication to this organization. We love you Sam!!!”
Yesi is a star volunteer whose work is essential to End Overdose’s presence in our hometown of Los Angeles. She says, "Giving my time to End Overdose is so important to me because I have lost too many friends, not just to the fentanyl epidemic, but opioid overdoses as a whole. I realized that I could turn my grief into action. By giving my time to End Overdose, I can help others stay safe. No one else has to die."
Brian is a business student at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). As the President of the UCR chapter, he’s currently working to equip their student body and the Riverside community with knowledge and resources that can save lives and prevent overdoses. Brian is also consistently present at End Overdose events around SoCal, so you might have seen him working the booth at your favorite festivals.
Jamie is someone who you can always count on to help with events, even if it's not convenient for her. She drives from San Diego to volunteer at events in LA, San Bernardino, and Long Beach, and even comes after a full day of work! She takes it upon herself to go the extra mile in helping us execute load out plans, and brings her own personal wagon to help carry supplies. Jamie even spent countless hours crafting an End Overdose totem for us to have at events to further increase our reach and spread awareness of our efforts!
Skylar is a dream volunteer who you’ve almost certainly seen tabling at an event. No matter the location, she’s dedicated to working alongside End Overdose. She’s traveled to Michigan for Electric Forest and to Ohio for Lost Lands while regularly zigzagging across Southern California. “Skylar is one of the purest souls and nicest people I've ever met. She is extremely reliable and will cancel her own plans just to come help when you're in need. Skylar also does Ground Control at Insomniac and is one of the hardest working individuals I've ever met,” says Director of Events and Fundraising Programs. “She lives 1 to 1 ½ hours away from every event, but volunteers twice per week just because she loves to help out."
Jennifer has volunteered at major events for End Overdose including EDC Las Vegas, Hard Summer, Day Trip, and more. “From the moment we connected over Zoom, I knew Jennifer was going to be an amazing addition to the volunteer team; she's a super dedicated volunteer and always does the trainings correctly and thoroughly,” says our Director of Events and Fundraising Programs.