Correspondent photo / Sean Barron Donna McAuley, who runs a nonprofit organization called A.M. Wake Up Call, stands next to a sign bearing the likeness of her daughter, Amanda M. McAuley, who died three years ago from a fentanyl overdose at age 27. Donna McAuley was among those who spoke at a “Coffee and Community” fentanyl awareness gathering Wednesday at the Collingwood Center in Campbell.

CAMPBELL — When it came to summoning adjectives to describe her daughter, Donna McAuley did not come up short.

“She was a light, fun, fearless and unique. She was talented in the arts, and she was an artist, an actor and a top model,” McAuley, who started a nonprofit organization called A.M. Wake Up Call, said, referring to Amanda M. McAuley. “She had natural talent, and of course, she was beautiful.”

Several years ago, the younger McAuley, who also appeared in commercials, was in Los Angeles after having attracted the attention of an acting and modeling agency. Her performances also resulted in several awards, Donna McAuley recalled.

“She knew she was going to make it,” her mother added.

All of that occurred before tragedy struck the family on April 5, 2023, when Amanda McAuley was found deceased from fentanyl poisoning, which was the impetus for Donna McAuley to establish A.M. Wake Up Call — the initials for Amanda McAuley.

Donna McAuley also was among those who shared their stories of loss and hope during a “Coffee and Community” fentanyl awareness gathering Wednesday evening at the Collingwood Center, 633 Porter Ave.

Wednesday also marked National Fentanyl Awareness Day.

The two-hour event was to increase awareness of the fentanyl crisis and provide a platform for several presenters to discuss their children’s lives and, perhaps by extension, aid in healing from their losses.

Fentanyl is a highly addictive opioid drug produced in laboratories with no natural ingredients, and even though it has been approved as a prescription pain medication, most of the drug that contributes to the overdose crisis is made illegally. It also is one of the more potent opioids, and just a small dose can be fatal, especially when mixed with other illicit drugs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website shows that opioid-related overdose deaths rose 38.1% between Jan. 31, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2021. During that same time period, overdose fatalities with synthetic opioids — mainly illicitly manufactured fentanyl — increased 55.6%, the website states.

A.M. Wake Up Call lists as its primary goal raising greater awareness regarding substance abuse prevention through an artistic approach aimed at engaging adolescents and their families while preventing addiction problems via educating parents and focusing on young people’s insecurities.

To that end, McAuley has staged a play, titled “Amanda,” which has been performed at the DeYor Performing Arts Center in downtown Youngstown.

“We need to do better in schools, the community and in the way we talk to our kids,” McAuley said in her presentation, adding, “Fentanyl doesn’t give you a second chance.”

“Losing a child is something no parent ever prepares for. It does not get easier with time,” Denise Zordich, dean and assistant principal at Choffin Career and Technical Center in Youngstown, said through tears.

Zordich was talking about her son, Brian Zordich, who lost his battle with addiction Dec. 14, 2021. He was 27. “He is love, laughter, energy and warmth,” she said, adding that Brian Zordich also struggled with anxiety and had difficulty focusing, for which a psychiatrist gave him Xanax.

Her son began his journey along a dark path when he used the pills as an “escape from the world,” which morphed into self-medicating and making poor decisions that led to the deterioration of his relationships with family and friends, Zordich recalled.

Some people offered advice such as cutting her son off and allowing him to hit rock bottom, though the complex web of addiction does not lend itself to simple and surface-like solutions, she explained.

“I miss his bear hugs that would take my breath away. Those moments are both a comfort and a heartbreak,” an emotional Zordich said, adding that fentanyl addiction can happen to anyone anywhere and of any socioeconomic level.

“Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, ‘I want to be an addict.’ It’s an escape,” Barry Gray of Salem said in a testimonial he gave Wednesday in honor of his son, Jacob Gray, who died from an overdose April 3, 2024, at age 35.

Jacob Gray struggled in high school with anxiety, social challenges and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. He received help over the ensuing years from rehabilitation centers and had dealings with police and psychiatrists, though they merely treated his son’s symptoms without addressing the underlying problems, an approach Gray referred to as “one size fits all, cookie-cutter.”

Alex DeChurch, an industrial organizational psychologist from Bryn Mawr, Pa., who lost two friends to a fentanyl addiction, recalled having heard about Donna McAuley’s story while at the Poland branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County. He made it clear he wanted to offer his services and assistance to A.M. Wake Up Call, including helping McAuley build additional programs and events, said DeChurch, who grew up in Canfield.

DeChurch also started Creative WorQs, an organization that provides leadership and organizational development, along with an innovative concept related to ongoing services and partnerships.

In addition, he desires to help McAuley’s organization develop programs in area schools aimed at giving young people added tools to increase self-confidence and be proud of themselves, DeChurch continued.

“We should not be afraid to use the ‘F’ word,” he said about fentanyl, adding that it’s vital also to establish and open channels to allow people to feel safe revealing their vulnerabilities.

Wednesday’s gathering also included a performance from members of True Diversity, a Warren-based dance troupe, titled “Crash.” In addition, they were part of McAuley’s play, “Amanda.” in honor of her daughter.