South Bend, IN

June 16, 2022
4:00 - 6:00 PM

The Living Undeterred Tour is a nationwide exploration aimed at bring attention to the mental health and substance use epidemics in our nation.

As we travel through Indiana, we will be partnering with Oaklawn to host an event at the St. Joe County Public Library Community Learning Center. The event will feature Living Undeterred Founder, Jeff Johnston. Suicide Prevention Advocate, Leslie Weirich, and a panel of experts in the fields of mental health and substance use disorders.

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Meet Our Speakers

Jeff Johnston

Jeff Johnston is an author, entrepreneur, and founder of Choices Network, Ltd. Jeff lost his oldest son, Seth, to fentanyl poisoning in 2016. Seth was 23 years old. Jeff later lost his wife of 21 years, Prudence, to alcoholism in 2021.
Jeff chose to turn his grief into inspiration to become a better man, not a bitter man. Through this inspiration he founded his non-profit, Choices Network, Ltd. and started the Living Undeterred Project. His mission is to bring awareness, raise funds and stop the stigma surrounding mental health, substance abuse, and addiction. He is traveling across the country for the Living Undeterred Tour to talk about these issues and begin to share new ideas on how we can end the stigma surrounding mental health and addiction and ultimately save lives.

Leslie Weirich

Leslie Weirich is a suicide prevention specialist for Oaklawn; however, she came to that line of work in a way no one wants to. On September 10, 2016, World Suicide Prevention Awareness Day, Leslie lost her 20-year-old son Austin to suicide. Her story captured national news one year later when the co-captain of Austin’s football team also died by suicide on the same day. The response made her realize that there was power in telling her story – the power to save young lives. She left her career as a successful financial recruiter and now travels the country speaking to thousands of people sharing a message of hope. Additionally, she is working to implement evidence-based suicide prevention programs in schools throughout Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, as well as working with state and local agencies to reduce suicide.

John Horsley

John Horsley, MBA, LCSW, LCAC, is Vice President of Adult and Addiction Services at Oaklawn. John oversees all adult and addiction treatment programs. He is the former Director of Oaklawn’s Addiction Services, where he launched innovative treatment programs in collaboration with community stakeholders to expand treatment options and access to addiction services across two counties. John received a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Social Work from Indiana University and a Master of Business Administration from Western Governors University.

Alicia Wells

Alicia Wells is the Director of Public Relations for Allendale Treatment and Fort Wayne Recovery. She is also a Co-Founder of Recover Michiana Fest. Alicia is a Certified Peer Recovery Coach and a person in long-term recovery. As someone who has personally navigated both incarceration and a substance abuse disorder, she utilizes the hard-won knowledge gained from her experiences to offer non-judgmental, compassionate guidance as she connects clients and families to treatment options in lieu of, or in addition to, incarceration. Her vision for Michiana is to create a resilient community where all recovery-related organizations and the judicial system network together to make treatment easier to access and reduce barriers to successful reentry after incarceration.

Our State Partner

Oaklawn provides mental health and addiction treatment for children, adolescents and adults in Elkhart and St. Joseph counties. Our specialized services range from skills training and case management to outpatient therapy and inpatient care.

Oaklawn walks hand-in-hand with our clients on their journey — facing the complexity of mental illness together. As a faith-based organization, we believe in treating the whole person — mind, body and spirit. We do this by employing highly trained professionals who provide all levels of services to our clients and advocate within our community on their behalf.

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Special Thanks