A forum in west Charlotte on Thursday focused on helping parents spot early signs of substance abuse in their children.
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Victoria’s Voice Foundation held the event.
Parents Jackie and David Seigel launched Victoria’s Voice after losing their teen daughter Victoria to an accidental drug overdose.
Parents Endo and Genevieve Jezek said forums, such as this help navigate the challenges of having a child who’s fighting substance abuse.
“You’re afraid to tell anybody because of the stigma,” Genevieve Jezek. “You’re afraid of how you will be judged, but you really have to seek help. There are others who are going through the same thing, and so we’re trying to be open about it, so that others can come to us and we can be a resource for other people.”
The forum’s panel included Sheriff Garry McFadden, Charlotte City Councilwoman Tiawana Brown, and representatives from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
©2024 Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/cmg/06e414f5-ebe0-49ae-ab5a-c3c809c094db.png)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/FKEVEVCNP5B2PBKBXSIDU2DAUQ.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/N7GXH462HRDILCE3BFP7WMCQ24.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/ATO2HH2CSJE4DJXKK64ULS35J4.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/FJT6RI67HVGYDKMWE6EUXSQMAU.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/2WJ2G7PR5RHPJB5OGJYHCORDEQ.jpeg)