West Virginia has the highest rate of opioid deaths in the country. Joe Boczek wants that to change.
The Morgantown resident has spent over 34 years in the media, serving as a public relations coordinator for the West Virginia University athletic department, five bowl games, five NCAA basketball tournaments, and much more. However, his biggest claim to fame might become Game Changer — an initiative he co-founded in 2019 with Bernie Dolan and Don Robinson to “address the growing opioid and substance misuse problem in West Virginia.”
Boczek spoke before an audience at The Greenbrier on Wednesday, May 26, at the Game Changer Golf Classic, where he admitted that changing the outcome of drug addiction in the state is not going to be an easy task, but he is more than ready to try.
“As West Virginians, we will pay any price, bear any burden and meet any hardship to assure the survival of the youth and citizens of our communities,” Boczek said. “This is West Virginia and tonight is the dawn of a new era. . .we share an obligation to ensure our children and teenagers have every opportunity to exist in a positive environment full of love and support.”
Boczek continued that a full spectrum response is required to “change the game” in the state.
“This disease does not discriminate,” Boczek said of the opioid crisis. “It’s attacking with a vengeance and destroying our family unit — the very core of our society.”
Many children are facing a future without one or both parents and numerous grandparents are taking their golden years to raise their grandchildren, Boczek said. Additionally, mothers and fathers should not be faced with planning the funerals of their children, who have died of an overdose.
“This has got to stop and it must stop now,” Boczek stated.
If ever a person could change the outcome of drug addiction statistics in West Virginia, Boczek is that person. But, he cannot do it alone. Fortunately, some of the biggest names in the sports world, notable West Virginians, state educators, those at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and those with numerous state organizations are standing at his side.
Alabama Head Football Coach Nick Saban and his wife Terry, both West Virginia natives, have joined the Game Changer initiative along with U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and Gov. Jim Justice to lend their expertise at helping end the crisis. Each spoke before the audience at The Greenbrier that same evening.
“The drug and opioid crisis is an opponent that we have not figured out how to beat,” Saban said. “This is a big game that we are fighting against. This game has negative consequences for so many people in so many ways, and we need to have a strategy for this problem.”
He added that he and his wife are dedicated to helping those in their home state, even though they don’t get back to West Virginia as often as they would like.
“We can’t and won’t stand idly by without trying to do our part,” Terry Saban added.
Manchin said that it would be hard to find one person in West Virginia who is not affected in some way by drug addiction.
“We have got over 10,000 homeless children in West Virginia and we have a Covid-19 pandemic that exacerbated our drug epidemic problem. We had over 90,000 people die in America from an overdose last year,” Manchin said. “We must do something.”
Justice added that as head coach for the Game Changer initiative, he believes the future of West Virginians will be bright.
“I’ve said many times that our kids are the greatest treasure we have in West Virginia, and we need to do everything in our power to combat substance abuse from the classroom to help ensure our children have the brightest future possible,” Justice stated.
According to information provided by Game Changer, 90% of alcohol or other drug addiction starts during adolescence, 1,275 West Virginians died from an overdose in 2020 — a 45% increase from 2019 and 55% of youth in West Virginia are being raised by their grandparents.
As for Boczek, he said he hopes years from now, when he is no longer around, that people will still come together for the Game Changer initiative and discuss what progress has been made for West Virginians, and that the initiative will continue to provide hope to those children who once had none.
The Game Changer Golf Classic was a two-day event designed to raise money for the Game Changer initiative. Events on May 26 included a reception and dinner at The Greenbrier, while events on May 27 included the golf event and a special educator luncheon.
Funding will be used to develop opioid and substance misuse prevention education programs for use in all of West Virginia’s middle and high schools.
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