Nonprofits across the Valley are working to provide resources for those dealing with substance misuse and spreading awareness to families on prevention.
While there are organizations that focus on educating people about the dangers of substance and drug misuse, others focus on working directly with those affected and providing a safe, social space.
Michael Stantz said he started organizing events such as hikes and coffee social meetings for The Phoenix — a program for those dealing with substance misuse to socialize with like-minded individuals through fitness and other activities — as someone who is in long-term recovery himself.
A volunteer program manager for The Phoenix wanted to plan a "sober foam party" for his Arizona-based group of individuals working through sobriety.
After arranging the foam party, Stantz said over 250 people attended the event.
"I was almost in tears because to be able to create something and have a safe space for sober and recovering people to come together, to be able to enjoy music and to enjoy dance, and to enjoy food and to just be together was magical," Stantz said.
Stantz said this was his "Phoenix moment" — a phrase used around the community to define an event that impacted a person the most in their involvement with the nonprofit. The only requirement to join The Phoenix is 48 hours of sobriety.
The Phoenix previously partnered with the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts for a free four-week workshop series, titled "Artists in Recovery." Sober House Records, a nonprofit for sober artists, also helped organize the workshop.
Stantz said he is about to enter his fourth year with the nonprofit.
"What The Phoenix does is it brings people together from all walks of life, all pathways to recovery, to see each other face to face and heart to heart, and to really be able to support each other," Stantz said. "We're really about harnessing the power of recovery and also the transformational power of connection and community."
Some nonprofits work with schools, specifically to educate parents and students about how to prevent substance misuse and understand more about drugs.
In Arizona, there have been 847 deaths from opioids in 2024, according to the Arizona Department of Health and Services — a decrease from the 1,928 deaths in 2023.
Rise Up Glendale focuses on preventing substance misuse among teens by teaching youth the dangers of addiction. OliviaDalley, a sophomore studying business communications and a prevention education specialist for Rise up Glendale, goes to classrooms in several school districts in the Phoenix metro area to raise awareness.
"We teach the kids by using presentations that allow us to effectively communicate what that substance is, the dangers of the substances but in an engaging, interactive way, using activities and also a presentation that is interactive," Dalley said.
Since October 2023, Dalley said she has taught the course in elementary and high schools. She said substance misuse is important to teach at young ages because the epidemic affects every group, referring to a case Dalley heard of a sixth grader and kindergartener both dying from fentanyl overdoses at one of the schools she visited. Dalley said she switched her major from architecture to business communication because of her experiences with the nonprofit.
Dalley said there was a history of alcoholism in her family that inspired her to join the nonprofit and turn past experiences into a positive way to help other people.
"You have the power to take control of your life," Dalley said. "A lot of times as kids, we think that life just happens to us, and yes, bad things happen in life but you have the opportunity to decide to do whatever you want to do with whatever happens."
Dalley said kids should also learn the benefits of maintaining a healthy intake of medications when they help them through physical and mental health difficulties.
"As a youth growing up, we get the idea that substances are all bad," Dalley said. "When in reality, opioids are really highly effective medications when they're taken properly."
In 2023, Maricopa County invested $2 million in opioid settlement funds to 12 organizations, two of these nonprofits were Rise Up Glendale and Neighborhood Ministries.
Neighborhood Ministries is a faith-based organization that teaches students and parents the dangers of substance misuse. The nonprofit gives lectures and provides services in both English and Spanish.
"I believe we have to tackle it from different angles, and prevention is one big part of that," said Cassandra Mendoza, the program director for Parenting Por Vida, a branch of Neighborhood Ministries. "We do not do treatment here. We do prevention and I believe that different agencies can work together."
Mendoza said Neighborhood Ministries also offers training for NARCAN, a medication used to reverse an opioid overdose, as well as a curriculum on how to manage different medications and dispose of them properly.
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"We are for the community — where we educate the community and we empower the community, (and) can offer services to help them battle that crisis," Mendoza said.
Mendoza said the organization also teaches parents about general drug information to strengthen family relationships, so the warning signs of a substance addiction don't go unnoticed.
"When I make those connections with those parents, I believe that I'm making a difference," Mendoza said.
If you or someone you know is dealing with substance misuse, help is available.
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 988
National Drug Helpline, 1-844-289-0879
BCBS Substance Use Resource Center, 1-833-959-4357 (HELP)
SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357 (HELP) or text 1-800-487-4889
Arizona Statewide Crisis Hotline, 1-844-534-HOPE (4673)
Edited by Senna James, Sophia Braccio, Tiya Talwar, Alysa Horton and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at gheadle@asu.edu and @George_Headley7 on X.
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George is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication. This is his third semester with The State Press. He has also worked at Times Media Group.
