As a member of GIFT (Giving Initiative for Teens), I and a group of others meet once a month. Our goal is to raise donations to support a philanthropic cause of our choice. We are a group predominantly guided by high school-aged teenagers, embodying the Jewish values of Justice (Tzedek), Humility (Anavah), and Respect (Kavod).

We were first tasked with finding an issue that we wanted to focus on. In order to accomplish this, everyone in our group had to be okay with the topic. Although it was a difficult choice, my peers and I ultimately decided our funds would best be used when put toward the drug epidemic that has continued to rock Seattle and its surrounding areas.

In the Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue area, 9.3% of the population (or 258,000 persons) aged 12 or above were classified to have substance abuse disorder. This often is caused by drugs like opioids, methamphetamine, cocaine, and a host of other drugs. These drugs have a far-reaching effect on our local communities, with a survey done by the Seattle Times of almost 900 homeless people in the Seattle area showing that 20.6% say their homelessness stemmed from Alcohol or Drug use. On a larger scale, about 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, 494,000 Americans over the age of 12 are regular heroin users, and 19.7 million Americans aged 12 or over battled a substance abuse disorder. These drugs devastate lives, throwing people into isolation, depression, poverty, and are often at the root of other issues, such as homelessness.

Luckily, there is hope. Every day, hundreds of organizations open their doors to the addicted, offering them education, financial and residential support, therapy, and many other services. But in order for these philanthropic organizations to keep the doors open, we need your help. With your funding, we, the members of GIFT will use your gracious donations to help the right facilities, and ensure that those who need the most help get it, keeping our cities and their people beautiful, happy, and prosperous.