About Us
Our Mission
Start Healing Now is committed to preventing overdose, expanding access to naloxone, and supporting individuals and families impacted by substance use and addiction.
We work to save lives and strengthen communities by increasing access to free naloxone, providing Overdose Aid Kits (O.A.K.s), delivering overdose prevention education and training, connecting people with recovery and treatment resources, and providing financial support that helps individuals build a foundation for long-term recovery.
Our goal is simple: save lives, reduce stigma, and make help easier to find.
We’re a Volunteer-Run Non-profit Organization
Start Healing Now is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit powered entirely by volunteers who believe that every community should be prepared to prevent overdose and every person seeking recovery should have access to support.
By installing Overdose Aid Kits (O.A.K.), naloxone distribution and training, community education, recovery resources, scholarships, and partnerships with organizations across Wisconsin and beyond, we are working to turn awareness into action.
Because we are volunteer-run, the support we receive from donors goes directly toward advancing our mission and expanding the reach of our programs.
Help Us Save Lives
Overdose and addiction can affect any family and any community. Ending the overdose crisis will take all of us.
Whether you carry naloxone, host an Overdose Aid Kit, volunteer, donate, share resources, or simply help reduce the stigma surrounding addiction and recovery, you can be part of the solution.
Together, we can save lives, support recovery, and help more people Start Healing Now.
Our Team
Jessica Geschke
President
Jessica is the Senior Project Manager in the Overdose Response Network with the Clinton Foundation. She leads various projects that aim to bring awareness to substance use disorder and end the stigma surrounding it. Jessica is a person in long term recovery who recently celebrated her 21st year of sobriety. Jessica is certified by the State of Wisconsin as a Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor. She is also certified by CCAR as a Recovery Coach. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Services from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and an Associate’s Degree in AODA from Moraine Park Technical College. Her areas of focus are assessment and treatment of substance abuse in adolescents and adults. Jessica has over twenty years of experience providing AODA treatment services to adolescents and adults in residential, transitional, inpatient and outpatient settings. She has spent over fifteen years working within and supervising medication assisted therapy programs. She is a Wisconsin representative of the national organizations, Mobilize Recovery and Recovery Advocacy Project, with The Voices Project. Jessica volunteers her time by holding volunteer positions as the Governor’s representative on the State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse as well as an Intervention & Treatment Committee member and an Equity & Inclusion member for SCAODA.
Amy Schroeder
Treasurer
Amy Schroeder is the Office Manager for three companies based out of Cottage Grove, WI. Amy received her associate’s degree in human service with an emphasis on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse from Madison College with additional studies from UW Madison and Edgewood College. Amy has spent over ten years serving on various non-profit boards in WI to bring about change for those still suffering from the disease of addiction. Her passion lies within helping families and friends through the difficult journey of learning that a loved one is using substances.
Amy has had personal experience with the disease of addiction and what it can do to a family unit. She is a family member, and close friend, of individuals who are currently struggling or have struggled in the past. Her goal is to ensure that no one family suffers alone in silence but instead speaks openly about their journey from active addiction to early recovery to help others find their way to a sober lifestyle.
Savanna Kawleski
Youth Ambassador
Savanna is also a family member of a person who has struggled with the disease of addiction and attributes her resilience and hard-working attitude to the experiences she has endured in her lifetime. As the Youth Ambassador, Savanna is responsible for supporting regional priorities while also engaging with some of our national campaigns. She works on statewide projects and is involved in National Youth Council initiatives with organizations.
Shari Klessig
Parent Ambassador/Secretary
Tim Kohler
Fundraising Chair
As a member of the Clinton Global Initiative’s Overdose Response Network (ORN), Tim helped launch Mobilize Recovery Across Georgia—the first state-focused, campaign-style bus tour for recovery. In September 2023, the tour reached nearly 50 Georgia communities, hosting rallies and municipal proclamations that united people in recovery with local resources, community leaders, elected officials, and supporters.
Currently, Tim is studying to become a Certified Addiction Counselor in the state of Georgia via the Georgia Addiction Counselors Association. He is currently working as a Counselor-In-Training at Tangu Recovery and Wellness in Atlanta. Outside of his advocacy work, Tim is an accomplished musician, songwriter, and music educator, with several solo releases available on all major streaming platforms. He is a strong believer in multiple pathways to recovery and a dedicated champion for harm-reduction strategies. Tim lives in Dallas, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, with his wife, Cat, and their four wonderful children.
Kendall Witter
Board Member
Kendall Witter, BSN, RN, is a Registered Nurse Case Manager, recovery advocate, and single mother dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by substance use and mental health challenges. She is pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Kendall’s passion for this work is rooted in both professional experience and her own journey in long-term recovery. Having experienced the challenges of addiction firsthand, she understands the importance of compassionate care, hope, and access to treatment. Her recovery has inspired a commitment to reducing stigma and helping others recognize that healing and lasting change are possible.
Throughout her nursing career, Kendall has cared for patients across a variety of healthcare settings and now works to help individuals navigate complex medical and social needs. She is especially passionate about addiction recovery, mental health, prevention efforts for youth, and supporting families impacted by substance use disorders.
As a board member, Kendall is honored to help advance Start Healing Now’s mission of education, prevention, and recovery support. She hopes to use her voice and experience to help create a future where more individuals and families find connection, healing, and hope.
Start Healing Now Advisory Council
Jason Fritz
Jason Fritz is deeply passionate about helping individuals and families affected by substance use disorder. After losing his brother to an accidental heroin overdose in 2014, he became a strong voice in the community, raising awareness & promoting education around addiction and recovery. Motivated to make a difference, Jason founded a nonprofit organization focused on educating the public about the signs of substance use disorder & connecting individuals to recovery resources. He is actively involved in several coalitions & task forces throughout Southern Wisconsin & has served on the SHN Advisory Committee since 2015.
Ryan Hampton
Ryan Hampton is a nationally recognized advocate, author, and speaker who has become one of the leading voices in America’s addiction recovery movement. In long-term recovery from a decade-long opioid addiction, Ryan has dedicated his life to breaking stigma and inspiring people to recover out loud through his Voices Project. A former Clinton White House staffer, he has worked with national nonprofits, bipartisan policymakers, and advocacy groups to shape meaningful addiction policy, including helping craft parts of the historic SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. Featured by Forbes, USA Today, MSNBC, The New York Times, and more, Ryan uses his powerful platform to connect and mobilize communities nationwide. He founded Mobilize Recovery, a national initiative that has trained thousands of advocates working on community-based solutions to end the overdose crisis. Ryan joined the Start Healing Now Advisory Council in 2019 and continues to champion hope, unity, and action in recovery advocacy.
Tom Farley
Tom grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Marketing. He began his career in banking and finance, living and working in the New York City area. From 1999 to 2012, he ran The Chris Farley Foundation, a nationally recognized non-profit dedicated to substance abuse prevention. Like his brother, Tom was successful in opening the “eyes and ears” of youth audiences through the powerful and effective use of humor. In 2008 he wrote “The Chris Farley Show”, a New York Time bestselling biography of his late brother, the actor and comedian Chris Farley. He has been interviewed on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Fox News, and The View. Today, Tom is a motivational speaker, delivering messages on prevention and recovery, and the use of improv as a tool to foster better communications in business. Tom is the Community Outreach Director of Recovery.com. He joined the SHN Advisory Council in 2020.
Our Partnerships
Clinton Foundation
Start Healing Now is proud to partner with the Clinton Foundation’s Overdose Response Network to expand access to naloxone and lifesaving overdose prevention resources in communities across the country.
The Overdose Aid Kit (O.A.K.) Program began in Wisconsin and has grown into a national initiative. O.A.K.s are wall-mounted boxes that provide free, easy access to naloxone and overdose response resources in places where people live, work, learn, and gather.
Through the Overdose Response Network and partnerships with organizations like Start Healing Now, thousands of O.A.K.s have been placed nationwide, helping make naloxone available when and where it may be needed most.
In addition to O.A.K. placement, Start Healing Now and the Clinton Foundation work with community partners to provide:
- Training to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose using naloxone
- Education about the overdose crisis and overdose prevention
- Guidance on O.A.K. placement, installation, and use
- Support in identifying sources of naloxone
- Recovery-friendly workplace education
- Ongoing program support and resources
Together, we are working to make naloxone more accessible, give people the knowledge and confidence to respond to an overdose, and help communities become better prepared to save lives.
Learn more about the Overdose Aid Kit Program through the Clinton Foundation.
Wisconsin DHS Naloxone Direct Program
Start Healing Now is a proud partner of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Naloxone Direct Program, which provides free naloxone to organizations throughout Wisconsin for distribution in their communities.
Through this partnership, Start Healing Now is able to provide naloxone at no cost to individuals and community partners, helping ensure this lifesaving medication is available to anyone who may experience or witness an opioid overdose.
Naloxone is a safe medication that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose. By making it easier to access and carry naloxone, we are helping more people be prepared to respond when every second matters.
Our Story
Originally named Stop Heroin Now, our organization was founded in 2013 by Linda Lenz after her son, Tony, died earlier that year from an accidental heroin overdose. In the midst of her own grief, Linda recognized a need to support other parents and families who, like hers, had been impacted by addiction and overdose.
In 2015, Jessica Geschke took over leadership of the organization. Together with a dedicated team of volunteers, she expanded its work to provide resources and financial assistance for individuals seeking treatment, sober living, and support on their path to long-term recovery.
As the opioid and overdose crisis evolved, so did our work. In 2020, faced with the devastating number of overdose deaths occurring throughout Wisconsin, our team expanded its focus to include overdose prevention and naloxone access. In partnership with Serve You Rx, we created the Overdose Aid Kit (O.A.K.) Program to make lifesaving naloxone more accessible in communities.
That evolution inspired a new name. In 2022, Stop Heroin Now became Start Healing Now reflecting a broader mission focused not only on addiction and recovery, but also on preventing overdose, reducing stigma, and helping individuals, families, and communities heal.
Start Healing Now Today
Today, Start Healing Now remains an all-volunteer organization working to save lives and support recovery. Our work includes:
- Expanding access to free naloxone
- Placing Overdose Aid Kits in communities
- Providing overdose response education and training
- Connecting individuals and families with treatment and recovery resources
- Supporting safe and structured sober living and other recovery needs
- Raising awareness and reducing the stigma surrounding substance use, overdose, and recovery
More than a decade after our founding, our work continues to grow—but the reason behind it remains deeply personal: to prevent other families from experiencing the loss that started this organization and to help more people have the opportunity to heal.
