“An Evening of Enlightenment,” the Sixth Annual Event for the GPF Foundation, is the organization’s principal fundraising event to be held October 12 at Northmoor Country Club (Highland Park).
The keynote speaker is Don Winslow, noted author of 24 books, including a ground-breaking trilogy on the Central and South American drug cartels (The Power of the Dog, The Cartel and The Border). Winslow has received numerous writing honors, including the Raymond Chandler Award (2012), Maltese Falcon Award (1994, 2010 and 2011), and Shamus Award (2010). His books have been adapted for both film and television. In 2022, Winslow announced his retirement from writing, to focus on political video-making and activism.
A special video interview will feature Duke University Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Jon Scheyer. A graduate of Glenbrook North High School, Scheyer led his team to a state championship in 2005. A year later he was named Illinois’ Mr. Basketball. While a player at Duke, Scheyer captained the team that won the 2010 NCAA Men’s Championship. In 2013 Scheyer joined Duke’s coaching staff; in 2021 he replaced the legendary Mike Krzyzewski as head coach.
The GPF Foundation (GPFF) was established in 2018 through an outpouring of love by close friends and the Friedman family in honor of Gregory Paul Friedman. The GPFF is committed to saving lives by supporting education, appropriate treatment, and overall awareness of the dangers of “modern day Russian roulette” related to recreational drug use, utilizing a harm reduction approach.
Recent GPFF-funded initiatives include:
- A medical simulation tool that helps physicians, emergency room personnel and medical/health profession students diagnose and treat patients suspected to have overdosed on street drugs. To date, the tool has been used more than 90,000 times by medical personnel globally.
- Creation of a first-responder training session to help public safety officers best identify and obtain help for people experiencing substance-related emergencies. The program launched recently with the Glencoe Public Safety Department.
- Publication of an article in the medical journal, Pediatric Annals, that gives pediatric and adolescent health care providers practical knowledge to effectively perform substance use screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment to help reduce drug-related morbidity and mortality among adolescents.
“Our focus on harm reduction education is very different from the ‘Just Say No’ culture of the past,” according to Ross Friedman, President of the GPF Foundation. “We’re realistic and teach young people how to keep themselves and others safe. The GPF Foundation was created to give people the knowledge to protect themselves and assist the medical community in developing appropriate related treatment.”
To learn more, visit GPFFoundation.org.
Winslow's books have been adapted for both film and television. In 2022, Winslow announced his retirement from writing to focus on political video-making and activism.