Church hosting second heroin awareness event with Bartlett speakers

An immense turnout at a heroin awareness event hosted by a local church's youth ministry last month has spurred the organization to have a second discussion on the deadly drug.

Bartlett Police Chief Kent Williams, Robert Crown Center CEO Kathleen Burke and a recovering heroin addict from Bartlett are scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22, at Resurrection Catholic Church, 30 W 350 Army Trail Road in Wayne.

Michelle Cook, the church's director of youth ministries, said about 400 people attended a heroin awareness event at the church on Aug. 25.

“The feedback after the event was incredibly positive,” she said. “People were shocked and concerned with the information they learned. We got a lot of requests for a second session because either they wanted to learn more or they wanted to make sure their friends and neighbors attended a follow-up session.”

Cook said parents and children sixth grade and older are invited to come together, but like the last session, there will be an opportunity for them to split up and go into different areas of the church to get questions answered they don't want to ask around each other.

“We did this so that the youth would feel comfortable to ask whatever was on their mind,” she said, adding that at the August event they stayed with the recovering addict. “They asked a lot of great questions and he answered from the heart, and as honest as he could.”

At a recent village board meeting, Williams said he is also meeting with Bartlett High School officials next week to set a date for heroin information sessions at the school for students and parents.