A mother’s love for her late son created this Alabama Bright Light
Lisa Bright with her late son Will. (contributed)
One of the most devastating events possible is losing a child. Lisa Bright lost her son, Will, to addiction when he was 25. But the tragedy led to the Will Bright Foundation, which helps others overcome addiction.
“Our mission at the Will Bright Foundation is to break the barriers involving recovery from addiction,” she said. “We offer services after someone attends a recovery program and still needs additional steps to get their life back together.”
The Will Bright Foundation offers scholarships to people who cannot afford to attend the recovery center. The center provides transitional living, counseling, job readiness and placement.
“Restoration Springs, our transitional ‘next step’ house, is where we work with men ages 19 to 65 and above,” Bright said. “We also serve women through our scholarship program.”
The Will Bright Foundation advocates for people addicted to opioids. The foundation supports a bill in the U.S. Senate called “The Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction In the Nation Act” (NOPAIN) that aims to extend awareness, legislation and educational information about the crisis.
The Will Bright Foundation is an Alabama Bright Light from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
“This bill allows you to have better control over your pain management,” Bright said. “Through the NOPAIN Act and the Voices for Non-Opioid Choices, we will increase patient and provider access to non-opioid approaches for acute pain management.”
The Will Bright Foundation depends on grants from organizations, including the Alabama Power Foundation, to maintain its programs and advocacy work.
“Our relationship with the Alabama Power Foundation has been a huge blessing. They have supported us so well over the years,” Bright said. “We have accomplished a lot with the help of the Alabama Power Foundation.”
Bright has found her purpose in life at the Will Bright Foundation.
“Part of my purpose here is to leave a legacy about my son, Will. We are called to serve our community and the greater good, and we feel like we do both of those things,” she said. “It’s gratifying to see someone who has come through our program that is now employed, sober, married and reconnected with their children. You know you’re doing what’s right, and it’s an amazing feeling.”
Bright said the reason she has dedicated her life to helping others is simple: “When you have a child like Will, who struggled with addiction from when he was in junior high up until he died when he was 25 years old, you learn how to make a difference in someone else’s life.”
In the struggle against the darkness of addiction, the Will Bright Foundation shines like the sun.
For more information, visit www.willbrightfoundation.com.
