Michelle Watson, the founder of the 1:11 Project, said she was inspired by other parents to take action and now leads a group of mothers providing community support and resources for struggling youth.. Watson was a guest on a recent episode of the Best of Midland Podcast.
"It was really overwhelming to look at because it's like, these are people's children," said Watson on a recent edition of the Best of Midland Podcast. "To see that it's not just 1 or 2, even here there's 28 kids now, 29 kids, and probably more who haven't spoken up. It's happening in our own backyard. But when I went there I was like, okay, it's time for me to do this; if these women can be tough enough to fight for their kids, that's what I'm going to do too.”
“I came back home and was like, let's do this," Watson said. “And now we have a whole group of moms who come with me to these presentations. We do a ton in the community. We are just out trying to help, trying to provide resources for young people that are struggling.”
Watson is the founder of the 1:11 Project, a registered non-profit organization focused on raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and combating its misuse.
Best of Midland Podcast is hosted by Ryan Shewchuk and Terra Avery. It is an extension of the broader Best of Midland program, which aims to support small, local businesses by showcasing them and the people behind them. Their website lists top businesses and upcoming live events happening in the area.
The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.