An Evening to Address the Opioid Epidemic at the Meridian House in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the U.S confronts its most challenging drug epidemic in history, the need to prevent adolescent drug misuse is increasingly imperative.  In an effort to bring attention to the opioid epidemic, Mentor Foundation USA will host an "Ambassadors for Drug-Free Youth" reception this evening, Thursday November 9th, from 6:00-9:00pm at the Meridian House in Washington, D.C. (1630 Crescent Place, N.W.).  Several Ambassadors from different countries are coming together to help bring awareness to this important issue and support Mentor Foundation USA – a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working to empower youth to live healthy productive lives, free of drugs.  "Prevention is key is fighting this epidemic, and we must all come together to educate and inform the community about this imminent threat to the health and well-being of our youth," says Michaela Pratt, President of Mentor Foundation USA.

Special keynote speakers include; Richard Baum, Acting Director of The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; Brian Harris, Acting Deputy Assistant for the Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs; and Mr. Tony Luke, Jr. who in late March of this year lost his son to a heroin overdose. "By publicly telling my son Tony's story, and through our social media initiative #BrownAndWhite, we aim to empower young people.  Through encouragement, education, love and support, we can inspire positive action in their lives and give them the tools to get ahead of this epidemic," says Tony Luke, Jr.

The event is made possible thanks to the generous support of K&L Gates, Qlik, CIGNA and AECOM.

Honorary Committee
Her Highness Princess Sora Saud of Saudi Arabia
Her Excellency Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter – Embassy of Sweden
Her Excellency Ambassador Maguy Maccario Doyle – Embassy of Monaco
Her Highness Princess Lalla Joumla – Embassy of The Kingdom of Morocco
His Excellency Ambassador Kenichirō Sasae – Embassy of Japan
Her Excellency Ambassador Sylvie Lucas - Embassy of Luxembourg
His Excellency Ambassador Kåre R. Aas - Royal Norwegian Embassy
His Excellency Ambassador Pierre Clive Agius - Embassy of Malta
His Excellency Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev – Embassy of Bulgaria
His Excellency Ambassador Geir H. Haarde – Embassy of Iceland

Business Committee
Rich Merski, Head, International Public Policy, CIGNA
LaMont Wells, EVP, Business Development, Management Services, AECOM 
Emanuel L. Rouvelas, Partner, K&L Gates LLP
Barton J. Gordon, Partner, K&L Gates LLP
Julie Whipple, Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Qlik

Mentor Foundation USA is a member affiliate of Mentor International, which was founded in 1994 by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden and the World Health Organization and is the largest network of its kind for evidence based programs that prevent drug abuse among youth. Collectively, Mentor has implemented projects in over 80 countries impacting more than 6 million youth.  Mentor is now represented in the USA, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, the UK, and has regional offices in Lebanon serving 22 Arab countries.

Contact: Michaela Pratt: (571) 458-7050
[email protected]

SOURCE Mentor Foundation USA