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Marisa's Purpose: Faith Hope & Love

May 11, 2016, my daughter Marisa passed away from an accidental drug overdose, leaving our family with very heavy hearts.

I never thought any of my children would feel the need to experiment with drugs.  I’ve always talked to them about substance abuse, and constantly let them know they could talk to me about anything.  It’s easy to think something like this will never happen to us, and if it does, we end up trying to deny the situation or become embarrassed of the circumstances.  The truth is, the drugs kids are now abusing today are extremely dangerous and easily accessible, leaving them feeling dependent on the drug and feeling helpless.

Marisa once told me she felt her purpose in life was to help people, and while I didn’t quite comprehend what she meant at the time, I now know she couldn’t have been more right.  Marisa may not be here on earth, but her memory will forever be eternal, and I’m hoping to live out her purpose through the Marisa's Purpose: Faith, Hope and Love Charity.  My hope in creating this charity is that we can help as many people as possible struggling with drug abuse in our local and surrounding communities. 

I’ve spent countless hours/days researching ways to not only get through to parents, grandparents, and students but also reach out to those who could be struggling with addiction. There’s so much information and so many resources, but thousands of parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers still remain uneducated and unaware of the drug epidemic occurring right in our community.

My goal for 2021 is to raise enough money to continue to bring speakers into our schools, our community and surrounding communities to share their stories and struggles they have had with drug abuse.  Speakers, that can share the success of their recovery and the difficulties they face daily. Education and prayer is the only way we can keep kids drug free.  I believe our past speakers experience and depth of knowledge have helped to educate our youth and families, and am hopeful it will decrease substance abuse activity in our area. We need to give parents and kids hope!

The fee for most speakers to travel to our community and spend three to four days educating our middle school, high school students and parents typically starts at $5,000. I would appreciate any help I can get in reaching this goal, whether it’s a monetary donation or direction on how to make this happen.  Once we meet our goal, all additional donations will remain in the Marisa's Purpose Charity. 

Thank you in advance for your time and generosity. Donations can also be made to Marisa's Purpose Charity through First State Bank in Monticello.

 I hope you’ll join me in my crusade educating future generations and bringing hope to our community. May Marisa’s memory be eternal!

With love,
Connie Gyorr and family


                                                            KNOWLEDGE IS A POWERFUL TOOL AGAINST DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE!
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Donations 

  • Carrie Bodznick
    • $50 
    • 1 yr
  • Kimberly Turek
    • $250 
    • 1 yr
  • Chad Johnson
    • $40 
    • 1 yr
  • Melinda Mansfield
    • $50 
    • 1 yr
  • Melissa Good
    • $50 
    • 2 yrs
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Organizer

Connie Panopoulos Gyorr
Organizer
Monticello, IL

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