On January 24, ɫ��ɫ was thrilled and honored to attend Patrick J. Kennedy’s special presentation, .

ɫ��ɫ’s President and CEO, Anne Bakar, and SVP of Development, Faith Richie, were honored to be invited to this galvanizing event.

Held in Washington, D.C. at , the event focused on creating and unifying a bold Frontier Plan to advance parity enforcement, early intervention and prevention, and an integrated system of care — and give Congressional members a guide on what they can do, regardless of their party, to address mental health and addiction issues, which are having profound impact on our nation and millions of individual people every single day.

“Patrick Kennedy is an inspiration and a visionary on so many levels,” said Anne Bakar. He is personally inspiring because of the powerful way he talks of his own recovery and the challenges he overcame to reclaim his life and his family.  However, like the Kennedys before him, he is a powerful political agent of change. He had powerful allies at the Forum from both sides of the aisle, including Senator John McCain and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. He also had a comprehensive guide for the 115th Congress regarding how we, as a nation, can provide the tools, treatment and support to transform the system and transform lives.”

Faith Richie said, “He’s an amazing reminder to all of us that in times of uncertainty, we have to double down, and recommit to our purpose. He shows us that it all starts with the individual and their personal story of recovery. From there, everything is possible. Our job is to respect the individual and do whatever we can to support that journey.”