09/05/2026
Our next speakers are a part of our event each year that we look forward to hearing from. Just as enforcement is a critical component to stop the spread of drug use and potential overdose, incarceration is another tool our justice system utilizes. However, having a collaborative team that gives high-risk felony offenders who are looking to break the cycle of drug addiction a place of structure and accountability, is something we can support as lives can be changed for the good.
Mr, Kevin Edwards, Program Manager of the Denton County Drug Treatment Court takes the stage to give us insight into this ground-breaking program and brings along a graduate whose life was saved from addiction and whom is able to rejoin their family and community. The graduate shares their moving stories and gives every listener an insight into the darkness of addiction and what the power of standing beside someone and believing in them can do to provide a foundation of lasting recovery.
This year, please join us in hearing Tanner Rutz’s, Denton County Drug Treatment Court Participant, story. We were take aback at the age at which drug use became an everyday thing for this young man, the years of functional drug use that were unseen, the lowest point of his life, how he clawed his way back to sobriety, and how a single event made all the difference for him!
learn more about the Denton County Drug Treatment Court here:
www.dentoncounty.gov/458/Specialized-Treatment-Court-Programs
Thank you Kevin for ALL you do and your continued inclusion of North Texas Overdose Awareness Day to serve those in active addiction and let the stories of our lost loved ones be told to help save another’s life!
Thank you Tanner for braving our stage and crowd and sharing a story that is incredibly personal and humbling. Recovery has a real weight and we will forever see your face when we think of the hope that a story can bring to those struggling.
