Less than two years ago, Jeff and Judy Bowlby of Issaquah were devastated by the death of their son Justin.
In June of 2007, Justin died of an accidental overdose of methadone.
His family, friends, and many in the local community were shocked and saddened — Justin didn’t seem like an “addict.”
He was a loving son, a brother, and a friend.
In the wake of his death, the family struggled to come to terms with understanding how and why young people like Justin find themselves trapped by addiction.
They realized that there was a critical lack of information and support for families trying to comprehend issues of drug abuse and addiction.
In reaching out, searching for meaning in the loss of their young son, they found the SAMA Foundation.
SAMA stands for the Science and Management of Addiction — the SAMA Foundation was created by two prominent Seattle health care advocates, Dr Robert Day and Cynthia Taylor, as they struggled to find effective treatment for their drug-addicted teenage daughter.
Two years later, the Bowlby family are an instrumental part of continuing the work of the SAMA Foundation in Issaquah and Sammamish, not only raising money to fund operations but also promoting addiction awareness and education programs and resources, such as the Family Navigator Program, which provides one-on-one support to parents.
Issaquah Rotary recognized the vital importance of this work, and donated the proceeds of their 2008 fun run, held in conjunction with the Salmon Days festival in October, to the SAMA foundation.
This week Jeff and Judy Bowlby, and Susan Peck, a Seattle parent who has also recently lost a child to addiction, thanked Rotary for their generous contribution of more than $7,000.
The 2008 run was the largest in its 32-year history, after a group of University of Puget Sound students decided they should do their bit for the cause. About 150 students showed up to take part in the run, ensuring that the event would be a success for the SAMA Foundation cause.
To learn more about the SAMA Foundation, go to www.samafoundation.org
