Will County State’s Attorney’s Office donates $5,000 to heroin relief program

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow recently donated $5,000 to the Heroin Epidemic Relief Organization, most commonly known as HERO.

This recent $5,000 donation brings the state’s attorney’s financial contributions to HERO to more than $20,000, according to a news release from the state’s attorney’s office.

Every day, we work with families who have children struggling with substance use disorders and those who have lost loved ones in the opioid epidemic.”

—  John Roberts, co-founder of the Heroin Epidemic Relief Organization, most commonly known as HERO

In addition, HERO now has a physical home in the community. In 2023, Glasgow sought out and found office space at 1 Doris Ave. in Joliet, according to the release.

On June 1, HERO will host a ribbon-cutting and open house from 2 to 6 p.m. The celebration will feature various activities, including the presence of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s One Pill Can Kill vehicle, according to the release.

“Thanks to the generosity of the building’s owner Tim Tibbet, HERO now has a permanent space in which to operate and continue to expand its services,” Glasgow said in the release.

How HERO addresses the opioid epidemic

HERO, a nonprofit organization, addresses the opioid epidemic in the community through its programs, by supporting “strategic pieces of legislation” and by providing “comfort and support to those who have lost a loved one to heroin/opioids or are currently helping a loved one who is struggling with this deadly disease,” according to the HERO website.

John Roberts and Brian Kirk founded HERO after their sons “were tragically taken from them while battling heroin addiction,” according to the website.

“When the unthinkable happened to these fathers, they turned their personal tragedy into avocation of helping others through education, counseling and support services to help save the lives of other children,” Glasgow said in the release.

Roberts said in the release that he and Kirk are grateful for Glasgow’s ongoing support and the “recognition of the ongoing need for support systems in our community in the ongoing battle against illicit and dangerous drugs.”

“Every day, we work with families who have children struggling with substance use disorders and those who have lost loved ones in the opioid epidemic,” Roberts said in the release.

Public health epidemic

More than 1 million people have died from drug overdoses since 1999, according to the release. More than 75% of these deaths involved an opioid with synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, accounting for “the vast majority of these deaths,” according to the release.

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In Illinois, the drug overdose death rate rose 28% from 2019 to 2020, according to the release.

In 2020, Illinois ranked 24th in the U.S. for the drug overdose death rate, at 28.1 deaths per 100,000 residents, according to the release.

“As opioids continue to ravage families and communities, HERO will continue to provide education and support to combat what our organization recognized years ago as a public health epidemic,” Roberts said in the release.

Glasgow previously assisted HERO with the cost of purchasing the “Hidden in Plain Sight Trailer” and worked with Joliet Mayor Jerry D’Arcy to provide the SUV to pull the trailer, according to the release.

The “Hidden in Plain Sight Trailer” shows parents the locations where teens commonly hide drugs in their own homes, according to the release.

“A walk through the HERO ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ trailer, set up like a teenager’s bedroom and demonstrating through examples the many places illicit drugs can be hidden, is a stark reminder of the easy accessibility of dangerous drugs and the creativity of users of any age in hiding them,” Glasgow said in the release. “Sadly, containers for everyday items, such as deodorant and water bottles, are counterfeited to have hiding places for drugs and marketed online.”

Glasgow said he plans to work with Roberts to put a second trailer into the rotation to reach even more parents to help “stop the scourge of opioids and deadly fentanyl,” Glasgow said in the release.

All of the state’s attorney’s financial donations to HERO were funded with “drug asset money seized from dealers and traffickers selling illegal narcotics in Will County, without the use of any taxpayer dollars,” according to the release.

For information on HERO, visit theherofoundation.org.