Steve Seidel will never forget that winter day in early February as simply as he will never forget the phone call.

“I remember answering the phone and it was the sheriff’s department calling me from Alameda County, California,” says Seidel. “They asked me if I knew Corey Seidel?’ I remember saying, ‘yes, that’s my son. Is he okay?‘ And then they told me he was dead.”

Cause of death: an opioid overdose.

“That day,” says Seidel, “I made a promise to spend the rest of my life trying to save somebody else.”

True to his word, Seidel began talking about opioid abuse while sharing his son’s story. He has spoken for Jewish Community Services, including a community forum they sponsored last year, and participated in a podcast for the agency’s ifIknew program, a health initiative for young adults to address issues that impact their well-being.

“Prevention education is one of the most important ways we will be able to get in front of this issue,” Seidel says. “And I want to thank The Associated for making it possible. Without their funding, we could not do what we are doing and saving future lives.”