Team Tommy Day Honors Face the Music Ally Tommy McClenahan

Earlier this month, Team Tommy Day, an event to honor Face the Music Foundation ally Tommy McClenahan, raised money to help educate children and parents about addiction. Tommy passed away last August from an accidental overdose and left a huge hole in the heart of his community. His involvement with Face The Music Foundation inspired friends and family to mobilize by informing others about his life and the struggles he faced. Face the Music Foundation did our utmost to honor Tommy’s memory with the blessing and support of his mother and loved ones.

Pinkerton Elementary School represented Team Tommy Day, on May 9^th, by going green and wearing Team Tommy T-shirts. The shirts were created to spark a conversation about addiction and its long-term and everyday impact. Having these open conversations with the students was the main priority of this day so that parents and children can be impacted by the legacy that Tommy left behind. The response had an amazing reaction with an overwhelming number of supporters that helped raise money through T-shirt sales.

The team said that it’s more than just the money and the T-shirts, it’s about what the shirt represents and the conversations that they’ve been able to have. Their objective is to educate, bring awareness and end the stigma of addiction – they want people talking about it, to help save a future life. Proceeds from each of the T-shirt sales went to Face The Music Foundation to help others with limited financial means access addiction care.

At the assembly, Michael Moltham from M2 The Rock came to a Q&A to discuss addiction, including how it affects the brain and how to find healthy coping skills to deter use. The fifth-grade students from Pinkerton were working on an end-of-year project on addiction and were able to have conversations with Michael. The faculty was pleased at the students’ level of engagement: “You could hear a pin drop as Michael was talking,” said one member. They are equipping the children with knowledge so that when they are faced with big decisions, peer pressure or anxiety, they can make informed decisions. Students felt the message at the assembly – one student said: “It felt like God was in the gym with us today.”

If you would like to join the fight against addiction, please feel free to make a tax-deductible contribution by donating today. Your gift will go toward helping substance use disorder survivors with limited means get the treatment and support they need to successfully launch their recovery, reclaim their dignity and rebuild their lives.