AKRON, Ohio — Teens and adults from Summit County are flying out of Akron Canton Airport this week heading for Washington D.C. They’ll be talking to the congressional caucus on “Treatment, Addiction, and Recovery,” held by Congressman Tim Ryan.
The group is with an organization called “Rachel’s Angels.” It’s made up of friends and family of Rachel DeMaio. DeMaio was just 17-years-old when she accidentally overdosed on Carfentanil in 2016.
“Rachel she was beautiful,” said her mom, Cindy DeMaio. “She was just a joy, just a complete joy.”
Shortly after her death, her loved ones created Rachel’s Angels. A group of her closest friends and her parents traveled throughout Akron schools to tell Rachel’s story and teach other teenagers about the opioid problem.
Rachel’s mom said what makes the group unique, though, is that it’s based on teens talking to teens.
“In order for kids to really comprehend what’s going on, they needed to hear Rachel’s story, and there’s no one better to tell Rachel’s story than her friends,” said DeMaio. “So that they could see what they felt when she died, how they missed her.”
Rachel’s friends made up the first group of student ambassadors or “Rachel’s Angels,” and now that they have graduated, there’s a new generation continuing on the work.
Katrina Hasala, of Akron Public Schools, helped get the program in the middle school and high school health classes. She hopes after Rachel’s Angels presents, that members of the caucus will push to secure more funding for the charity.
“I’d love it to see those grass roots programming really get funding because they really are the boots on the ground. They’re really connecting to people and they’re helping, but they don’t necessarily have that funding source,” said Hasala.
DeMaio echoed her sentiment. She hopes to get the program in every school in the country.
“To have kids talking to kids. This is our next generation. These are the people that are going to be running our country one day and with this epidemic getting worse and worse and worse we are going through this tragedy and it’s going to be a broken nation,” said DeMaio.
Naomi Johnson, 17, a senior at Firestone High School in Akron, is one of the angels and will also be making the trip. She believes the program makes a big difference with students connecting with other students.
"I feel like talking with a teen to a teen or a kid to a kid, it's like talking to a friend," Johnson said.
A guest speaker at the caucus is Brenda Ryan of Summit County. Her daughter died in 2016 and left her to care for her 5-year-old grandson.
Ryan plans to talk specifically about the needs of grandparents raising their grandchildren. Last year, Congress created a federal task force to address that issue. It’s designed to help grandparents navigate the school system, plan for their futures and address mental health issues.
But Ryan said more help is needed.
“We get no money, we need help. These grandparents need help. So, I want to try to get some direct funding for these grandparents. That’s my ultimate goal,” she said.
While in D.C., DeMaio also plans to push congressmen for tougher sentences for people who sell drugs to kids. Jamarr King, the man who sold drugs several times to Rachel, is serving three years in prison.
"It's just gonna be a broken nation. If we don't fix it now and teach these kids about this, the deaths are gonna keep happening. The destruction of families are gonna keep happening," she said.
The caucus meets Thursday afternoon.
