Ginger Katz

Background

About Ginger Katz

Ginger Katz is a nationally recognized figure in the drug prevention field. She is the author of Sunny's Story and CEO/Founder of the Courage To Speak® Foundation, a nonprofit founded after her son Ian died from a drug overdose. Since 1996, her Foundation helped save young lives by empowering youth to be drug free and encouraging parents to communicate effectively with their children about the dangers of drugs. Ginger has reached over a million people across the country presenting in over a Courage to Speak Presentations. The Courage to Speak Presentation provides insight into a young person’s journey into addiction which began with a cigarette, a sip of beer and marijuana to his death from an overdose of heroin and valium and weaves powerful prevention facts with a family's experience. Ms. Katz also worked with a team of experts in drug prevention education to develop the Courage to Speak Drug Prevention Education Programs evaluated by Yale School of Medicine for elementary, middle and high schools - grades 4-12, which is implemented in many school systems across the country. In addition, spearheaded the development of the Courage to Speak - Courageous Parenting 101® in English and Spanish for parents to keep their children safe from drugs and other risky behaviors. Ginger released her book Sunny's Story, which is part of the Courage to Speak educational programs and it is a compelling story written for children of all ages, parents and educators telling of her son Ian’s addiction from the perspective of Sunny, the family beagle. Her work has been featured in The NY Times, Daily News, MTV, MSNBC, the O’Reilly Factor and other media outlets and publications. Among her many honors, she received the CT Association of Schools, Distinguished Friend of Education Award and the US Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration Prevention Works Award. visit and