Letter: Community Forum Informative, Eye Opening

To the Editor:

Thank you for writing the informative and thorough account of the public forum held 7-12-22 in White Cloud to address the serious issue of addictions in Newaygo County.
https://www.nearnorthnow.com/news/addiction-in-newaygo-county
I was also there and heard for myself, things that I had not really thought about too deeply. I found the information that was shared by the excellent speakers to be very informative, eye opening and heart breaking. Indeed, there is a serious problem with addiction in our county that affects many adults and children; indeed all of us as members of NC. And I learned that there are many dedicated people, professionals and ordinary members of our communities who are concerned and working to remedy the problem.

 I was impressed with how smoothly the forum was organized and how much I learned from the various speakers, whose dedication and commitment for the well being of the people of Newaygo County, was very obvious. There were times, during the testimonies of two of the speakers who shared personal stories of living with loved ones affected by addiction, that if a pin dropped, it could be heard! I found my heart deeply moved and my mind expanded. When looking over my notes from the evening, I noticed I had written a Q to myself; 'Who is my neighbor?" Thinking of that as I drove home, I thought of a quote I had just read that morning, by Isabel Allende; "We are all born happy. Life gets us dirty along the way, but we can clean it up." Indeed! That was proved at this meeting.

Kudos to NCMH Director, Carol Mills, & organizers of the forum, to all the speakers and to the audience members who were respectful and submitted great questions. I would recommend and encourage that this important informational forum be repeated in our county in the future; perhaps in larger venues such as the Grant Fine Arts Center, The Dogwood Center in Fremont or through the FACF's Better Together Series, where there is accessibility to better media systems so all participants can hear and see the information being shared. This information is too critical and important to limit it to just this one time. Again, my deepest appreciation and thanks to all those who participated in this forum.

 Gloria Switzer Fremont.