(Founding organizers Anna Goddard and Michael “Mook” Cahill talk about Heart of Wilmington, its mission and what locals can do to help.)
WILMINGTON — It’s no secret that the Port City has an opioid problem, one that has persisted despite the best efforts of a wide variety of organizations. (For more on the crisis, and those fighting it, check out our series on the opioid epidemic.)
That’s why Anna Goddard, Michael “Mook” Cahill and a small group of organizers started Heart of Wilmington, a grassroots group dedicated to eliminating the heroin epidemic in Wilmington. The founding members had all lost friends and family to addiction; as Cahill said, “we founded this group out of necessity. We’d lost too many good people. It was time to do something.”
Created in late May, Heart of Wilmington (HOW) quickly grew from dozens of members to nearly 2,000. At its first official meeting, the group packed Buzz’s Roost. Goddard said at the time, “we’ve got dozens of people here to share their stories, we’ve got local media, we’ve got police officers and firefighters, we’ve got someone from the D.A.’s office.”
Wilmington has no shortage of addiction resources, pilot programs and task forces. So, what makes “Get the H out of Wilmington” resonate so deeply with the Wilmington community impacted by opioid addiction?
“One thing we’ve noticed, in meeting up and telling our stories, is that all these resources are disconnected, they’re not talking to each other. And the other thing is that we’re not trying to do things top down, we’re not putting a template on things. We’re working from experience and from personal stories,” Goddard said.
After a quick start, onto the mission
A week later, some of the initial thrill of the first meeting had worn off, and the organizers started to focus on the task ahead. It is no small mission: eliminating heroin addiction in Wilmington. But just because Goddard and her fellow organizers are a grass-roots, DIY group doesn’t mean they are low-tech. In fact, one of their most ambitious plans – the brainchild of Cahill – is a smartphone app that would present all of Wilmington’s resources for substance abuse in one place.
As Cahill explained, “the technology is out there to let us essentially be the middle man for all these resources. At the large scale, we could say, here are all the beds available to you. At the small scale, we could say, here are all the local resources – friends and neighbors who could help you paint your room, mow your lawn, watch your pets.”
Goddard added that this small scale – “the kinds of little things that don’t seem like much but could make all the difference” – has never been tapped into.
“People don’t go to rehab because they have excuses, their yard, their rent. We could help take away those excuses. And when people get out of rehab, they’re alone. We could connect them with resources, with friends, with activities. People in crisis are at the breaking point – a flat tire could be the thing that makes them snap. But we can connect them with a ride to work, or some who can fix a flat,” Goddard said.
Goddard and Cahill hope that an app could ultimately be used in other cities and regions hit hard by addiction. Cahill said he was already in touch with members of Wilmington’s tech community, working on a website and app that would combine volunteer ‘micro-resources,’ larger-scale services like detox, clinics and counseling, as well as legal information on issues like North Carolina’s ‘good Samaritan’ and possession laws and New Hanover County’s deferred prosecution policies.
A bridge for Wilmington’s substance abuse services
By connecting those who can help, even in small ways, with those who need it, as well as connecting other organizations in the region that want to help, Goddard said she hopes to serve as bridge between all the disconnected pieces of the opioid struggle and, one day, addiction in general. That’s part of HOW’s larger goal of de-stigmatizing addiction.
“We want the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge to be our logo, and we want it to be as synonymous with dealing with addiction as the pink ribbon is with breast cancer. It’s something you could put on a T-shirt, on a key-chain or a pin. Something someone could see and know, ‘OK, I can talk to them, I’m not alone,’ ’’ Goddard said.
In addition to its Facebook page, HOW will be holding a “family meal” at Proof Bar and Lounge, located at 18 S. Front St., on Tuesday, June 20, at 7 p.m. Goddard asked those interested in bringing potluck food or other donations to check HOW’s page to see what is needed.
“The family meal is kind of mission in a nutshell, it’s just a community helping each other. That’s why we wanted Heart of Wilmington, or HOW. Because people ask, ‘how can I help?’ Well, this is how. Little things, keeping the conversation open, sharing what you know, helping each other,” Goddard said.
Benjamin Schachtman can be reached at ben@localvoicemedia.com, @pcdben on twitter, and (910) 538-2001.
