One of the worst things to happen to young adults is an opiate addiction.  Once Steve and Kim Keen discovered their son’s friend had fallen victim they decided make a change.  

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, last month declared the heroin epidemic a national emergency.  

Being addicted to heroin can often be fatal if not treated properly.   The recovery process is long, difficult, and if done incorrectly, the addicts often return to the explicit substance shortly after.  Not to mention the process also costs lots of money and it takes a very long time for the victim to recover.  One team of devoted Catholics is trying to make a change and help struggling addicts. The Pelican Intervention Fund team was founded by Kim Keen, Steve Keen, and Elizabeth McCarthy.  

“We want to give someone a second chance, and a chance at long term sobriety,”  Stated Kim Keen.

Kim Keen first got the inspiration to make the intervention fund after she and her husband helped one of their son’s friends recover from a heroin addiction.  

“One of his friends got started with prescribed pills in college but switched to heroin since it cost less money,” Kim Keen explained.  

“Once you start doing research on addiction you get sucked into it and realize just how large the scope of the issue is,” Stated Steve Keen.

They knew that they had to sit down and talk to their son’s friend and have him get help.  They ended up helping him go through a 30-day program, which started with a five day detox and then a 12-step program.  In the end, without the Keen family’s help, the process would of cost their friend $15,000.

This experience inspired the Keen family to start the Pelican Intervention fund to help addicts seeking help.  A third member of the fund is Elizabeth McCarthy a parent whose daughter also suffered heroin addiction.  After McCarthy’s daughter recovered she was so grateful she felt “compelled”to give back and help.

“As a child, my parents always told us to “whom much is given to much is expected”.”  She explained.  

McCarthy felt called to help others get the resources they need to be able to get their lives back and be reborn.  

“We care for anyone no matter their religion or race.  We feel it as a calling from God and to be part of helping people reclaim their lives is miraculous.”  

The Pelican Intervention Fund has been running for exactly two years now and has gotten the chance to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to putting addicts through the proper programs they need to recover and regain their life.  However, not only has it restored many lives it has also brought the team great joy in doing so.

“The most rewarding part of it is when I see someone who has gone through the program and and is sober delivering a testimony at one of our events,”  Said Keen

McCarthy also said that she felt great joy taking part of this program and being able to help others on their road to recovery and getting a second chance at life after their addiction.

“My favorite moment was when we had  a 38-year-old man who had been trying to get over his alcohol addiction for the past 10 years but had been unable to keep sober for 1 year said McCarthy.  After helping him through I got a text from him with his 1- year chip now he has been sober for 17 months.   When I saw that was such a joy for me.”

The Pelican Intervention fund has been able to help others “heal from the roots”, and has raised over 120,000 dollars toward their cause and placed 20 patients into sober living and provided unique opportunities for their recovering members.  The fund aims to keep providing hope, resources, and physical and spiritual healing for addicts no matter their situation.