Please join us for a documentary film screening and a panel discussion on Sunday, September 24 in honor of National Recovery Month! We’ll be showing Motel Drive, a documentary film that follows the Shaw family for 7 years in Fresno, CA as they grapple with housing insecurity and addiction while trying to raise their young son. The event takes place at The Loft Cinema.
Communities throughout the U.S. are looking for solutions to end serious and persistent homelessness. Substance use disorders can be causes and consequences of homelessness, as well as co-occurring problems that complicate efforts to succeed in finding stable housing.
At this community event, the audience will have a chance to interact with nonprofit organizations that work in the field, learn more about what is being done in the Tucson area, and hear about solutions to end homelessness. We’ll also be celebrating recovery that is possible for all and limitless in scope.
The movie’s director, Brendan Geraghty, will join us for a panel discussion and Q&A after the screening. The other panelists are Tom Litwicki, CEO of Old Pueblo Community Services and Tonya Hamilton, Director/Tribal Liaison of the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family. Claudia Powell, Associate Director of the University of Arizona SIROW, will moderate the discussion.
More information about the film: https://moteldrivemovie.com/about-the-film
Date and time: Sunday, September 24 at 2:00-5:00pm. The movie screening will start promptly at 2:30pm
Location: Loft Cinema, 3233 E Speedway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85716
The event is free and open to everybody. Please note that space is limited to first 100 participants and tickets are handed out upon arrival. We recommend arriving early to reserve your spot.
Be a part of the solution by donating $10 or more for women in recovery.
Panelists
Brendan Geraghty, Director of Motel Drive
Brendan is a producer and director with over ten years of experience in TV, with specific expertise in the innovative docuseries/alternative comedy space at Abso Lutely Productions. Most notably, Brendan has worked as a producer on the critically acclaimed and Emmy nominated Comedy Central docuseries Nathan For You. He is also a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, where he was trained in cross-cultural communication and community development, living and working in West Africa. It is this unique background that has strongly positioned him to work in dynamic, logistically challenging environments. Recent projects include Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal (HBO) and a feature film in production (Universal Pictures), and his documentary directorial debut, Motel Drive.
Tonya Hamilton, Director/Tribal Liaison, Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family
Tonya Hamilton was appointed as Director of the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family (GOYFF) in January 2023. Previous to Ms. Hamilton’s appointment, the native Phoenician served 29 years working for the State of Arizona and its citizens at the Pima County Juvenile Court Center, the Arizona Supreme Court, and the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry.
Following her time at state agencies, Director Hamilton has worked the last 16 years in various roles at GOYFF, such as Tribal Liaison, Substance Abuse Prevention Manager, and overseeing Project Directors for grant funding. Director Hamilton currently serves as an ex officio member of the Arizona Commission of African American Affairs, a member of the Arizona Human Trafficking Council, and participates on the Governor’s Veterans Policy Academy Team.
Thomas M. Litwicki, M.Ed., LISAC, CEO of Old Pueblo Community Services
Tom has worked in the human services field since 1990, with the last fifteen years of service to persons experiencing homelessness in Tucson. Tom has a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Human Relations from Northern Arizona University and is a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor. He currently serves as CEO for Old Pueblo Community Services, a not-for-profit community agency that provides evidence-based housing and support services to persons experiencing homelessness. Tom resides in Vail, Arizona with his partner, Darcie, and is father to two wonderful adult children.
Claudia Powell, Associate Director, University of Arizona-Southwest Institute for Research on Women (UA-SIROW)
Claudia has worked in the field of homelessness, diversity, equity and inclusion, program evaluation, mental health and substance abuse service provision, HIV prevention, health promotion and domestic violence for the past 21 years. She has directed several projects that facilitate providing a trauma-informed system of care that includes linkages to housing, health care, case management, substance abuse and mental health treatment and a wide array of support services to LGBTQ+ identified youth experiencing homelessness. The research associated with these projects has become part of the national conversation pertaining to best practices for serving LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.
Claudia convened a group of local experts to develop the Racial Justice Call-to-Action for Community-Based Organizations in an effort to improve racial equity within local community-based agencies. Claudia has served as the Project Director and local evaluator for a number of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration projects within the Center Substance Abuse Treatment and Center for Mental Health Services funded projects over the years with many community and tribal partners. As a devoted community-based researcher, Claudia is committed to engaging in culturally-responsive, community-based participatory action research that is done in partnership with communities, promotes equity and embraces a true spirit of collaboration. Claudia sits on the board of the National Council for Healthcare for Homeless, and currently serves on the board of the Tucson Urban League and is the past chair of the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness Executive Board.
Title Sponsor
Nonprofits sharing resources at the Event
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