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Jonesville mother turns daughter’s 2017 fentanyl death into nonprofit and Louisiana Overdose Awareness Day
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Summary
After her 28-year-old daughter died of fentanyl in 2017, Jonesville resident Lillia Harvey founded Millie Mattered to educate young people about drug-dealer tactics and launched Louisiana’s first Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31, 2017.
Lillia Harvey, a resident of Jonesville, Louisiana, said she founded the nonprofit Millie Mattered after her 28-year-old daughter, Millie, died of fentanyl in 2017 and that she organized Louisiana’s first Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31, 2017.
Harvey, speaking in a local spotlight, described raising a blended household of seven children after her ex-husband adopted her three children and they gained custody of his four. She said Millie was “free-spirited,” loved to dance and do gymnastics, and lived in Alexandria after Harvey moved there.
"I feel like Millie did not get a fair chance at life," Harvey said. "I believe she was deceived to death by something that if she had known what was in there, she would not have done it." She said her loss left "a hole that can never be filled" and motivated outreach to other families affected by illegal opioids.
The program host identified Harvey by name and said she founded Millie Mattered to educate young people about the tactics drug dealers use and to support families. According to Harvey, she organized Louisiana’s first Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31, 2017, at the park where she found Millie, with the stated goals of reducing stigma and recognizing people who have died from drug addiction.
Harvey said she wanted the public to know that "they had families, they had pets, they had ambitions," and that people who died from addiction "mattered." The host thanked Harvey for turning her personal tragedy into public service and urged her to continue educating and fighting to save lives.
No formal policy actions or votes were recorded in this segment; the program presented personal testimony and community outreach work without a request for government action. The segment focused on advocacy, public education and stigma reduction rather than specific legislative proposals or funding requests.
Note on name spelling: the program introduced the speaker as "Lillia Harvey"; some transcript lines render the given name as "Lily." This article uses the form "Lillia Harvey" as shown in the program introduction.
