Honoring These Changemakers: Join Us at Roots of Prevention
Barbara Tyler - Outstanding Individual
Barbara, known to many as Barb, is the co-founder of the “Laurentide Cares Team”, a peer-run group that assists residents of Laurentide, a Champlain Housing Trust community, with food needs and social support. She has been a key member in the planning and hosting of local block parties and is heavily engaged in her community, participating in events like Coffee Hour and creating a welcoming environment at Laurentide. Barb has encouraged neighbors from surrounding properties to come by and get involved, bolstering the strength and connectedness of the area and tackling the impacts of social isolation on health and wellbeing. She engages with kids in the community in a way that lets them know they are seen and important. Always willing to help her friends and neighbors, Barb is a shining example of what it means to be a community leader and foster healthier, safer communities.
“She is a quiet force deserving of recognition! Barb knows almost everyone at Laurentide and folks who visit from surrounding properties. She is always willing to help wherever she is needed!” - Eilis Mooney
Dr. L.E. Faricy - Outstanding Individual
Dr. L.E. Faricy, a pediatric pulmonologist at the UVM Medical Center, has seen first hand the impacts of substance misuse on youth and works tirelessly to ensure they have access to empathetic care and vital resources. This commitment extends far beyond their work at the UVM Children’s Hospital. They serve on the Board of the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter and as a Professor at the UVM Larner College of Medicine. Championing the efforts to ban flavored tobacco products in Vermont, Dr. Faricy has been an advocate of protecting youth and families through policy, prevention, and education. They partnered with Outright Vermont, leading a structural overhaul of the medical team at Camp Outright, Vermont’s only dedicated LGBTQ+ youth camp. They also provided invaluable medical expertise through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, assisting Outright with resources and connections to make programs safe for LGBTQ+ youth. From giving their time to speak at schools, meeting with parents and caregivers of youth, mentoring the next generation of doctors, and volunteering their expertise to local programs on top of being an exceptional physician, Dr. Faricy is truly an outstanding individual.
“My one-word description of Dr. Faricy is ‘inspiring’. Not only does she use her limited time and energy to inspire undergraduates to pursue health careers, but she has inspired me – a current medical student who is already on the path.” - Lauren Tien
Mukhtar Abdullahi - Youth and Families
Mukhtar has been a coach with the Burlington Football Club for almost 5 years, showing a deep love for the game and the youth community. He is a highly regarded soccer coach in the Greater Burlington area (leading the Seahorses to the Semifinals in the Division 1 playoffs in only his second season). Mukhtar fosters a fun and inclusive environment for his players, challenging them to grow and develop while supporting them as their mentor. This growth goes beyond the bounds of the field as he encourages his players to give back to their community, sharing with them the importance of hard work, genuine kindness and spreading positivity. Mukhtar’s passion for supporting youth goes beyond football. In addition to his work in Burlington he also works as the Substance Use Prevention Educator for the Winooski Partnership for Prevention and a Multilingual Liaison for the Winooski School District. Through all of the relationships he tries to build with youth in the area he shows a passion for connecting them with the resources they need to make healthy life choices.
“We've had more of a sense of community at home soccer games. The positive culture that Mukhtar has built around the team not only impacts the growth and development of his players, but it's obvious enough that you can sense it in the soccer community. He fosters an environment that is fun, inclusive, and challenging that propellers his players to be healthier, better human beings.” - Mahat Abdullahi
Community Response Team - Outstanding Program
The staff of the Burlington Fire Department noticed that they were responding to an increasing number of calls of suspected overdose. The staff wanted to do more to feel like they were making a difference in this problem. They brought the idea for what became the Community Response Team (CRT) to the Burlington Fire Chief. This new CRT Pilot Program responds to dispatch calls, determines the level of escalation required, and helps streamline the department response to reduce strain on limited resources and improve access to care for the affected individuals. Since the team’s inception in October of 2023, the CRT has interacted with over 1,200 people and has been voluntarily staffed with over 1,700 hours by members of the Fire Department. There is a direct correlation between the team’s involvement in overdose response (via wound care, additional support services and Narcan leave-behind kits) and the 23-45% reduction of overdose responses year over year for the months of October through January.
“While we continue to face an uphill climb to respond to the overdose crisis and increase pathways to treatment, the Burlington Fire Department along with many other community partners provide cause for hope. The CRT shows that we can work collaboratively to adapt our existing response models to better meet the needs of our community.” - Joe Magee
Angela Halsted - DG Weaver
Angela is a Student Assistance Program Counselor (SAP) at Edmunds Middle School, providing students with support, and families with resources to address substance use and mental health needs. She works individually with students to help them reduce stress and work on challenges related to things like substance use, body image, anxiety, depression, and family conflict. Angela brings her positive, friendly approach to the whole school as well, promoting health and wellness for all students in the schools by providing educational materials, leading health focused activities, hosting caregiver Dialogue Nights, and supporting student led events and projects to increase student wellness and connection. She is always ready to lend a helping hand to others or show up for students both while they are at EMS and years after they’ve graduated. Angela has been a long-time member of the Burlington School District Coordinated School Health team, working to support improvements to district policy and practice that elevate student health and wellness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she immediately responded, helping to reduce disruptions for students and support stress relief tailored to individual needs. Angela has been integral to the work of the Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community, helping to create an avenue for youth from EMS to get involved in meaningful change efforts in their school, community and state. Her compassion and deep sense of care for the people she works with make her someone that people gravitate toward and want to know which is why she has continued to grow one of the largest youth wellness groups in the district.
“SAP counselors, like Angela, support students and families in their schools, creating relationships that help students feel seen and heard, and allowing students to learn and grow as part of their school community, as well as the broader Burlington community.” - Barry Gruessner
