Punk Concert Raises Funds for Naloxone

The Last Letter Project presented the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County a donation to be used for naloxone kits, mental health services, and addiction treatment and recovery from funds raised at their 2nd annual Speedbump Fest. The show featured Night Birds, a surf punk band from New Jersey and was held in honor of the memory of Garrett Janos.

The group’s leaders, Jaclyn Wright, Michelle Zeit, and Jon Zeit, lost their friend, Garrett Janos, to suicide. “The show is a remembrance of Garrett as well as an avenue to open dialogue publicly about mental health and addiction awareness,” explained Wright. “This year we wanted to reach further out and also be able to help more people in the community afflicted by the opioid crisis.”

Speedbump Fest was in October at Annabell’s Bar & Lounge in Akron. Raffle prizes were donated from the Akron Rubber Ducks, Earthquaker devices, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Nuevo Modern Mexican, local artist Maggie Turner, Nervous Dog coffee shop, Tiny Cloud ceramics, and local tattoo shops - Defiance, Black Sheep, and Three Anchors.

Caption: Last Letter Project donation to aid those struggling with opioids. Pictured from left Jaclyn Wright, Michelle Zeit, Joel Mowrey, PhD, Mental Health & Recovery Board; and Joe Bocchicchio, Coleman Professional Services.