Cartersville, Bartow County, GA: January 8, 2026. Today the Cartersville and Etowah West End Rotary Clubs announced that they have each received $5,000 grants from Rotary District 6910 and the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust to fund a county -wide program to inform the public about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline now available to Georgia residents.
The local Rotary clubs are implementing a multi-media effort to advertise and promote the 988 phone hotline and the 988lifeline.org website, which provide immediate access to mental health professionals for help with substance abuse, addiction, thoughts of suicide and other mental health emergencies.
The grants will fund electronic billboard rentals, media events, distribution of 988 brochures and other literature, digital and news ads, and public service announcements. The Rotary clubs are working closely with Recovery Bartow to develop a wide-reaching but focused program to spread information about the 988 Lifeline and the services it provides for individuals and families who are experiencing addiction and other mental health issues.
BACKGROUND: Deaths from opioid overdoses continue to claim the lives of more than 1,000 Georgians each year (1) and the opioid crisis has caused addiction among countless others. In 2024 alone, the opioid crisis is estimated to have cost Georgia $81 billion. (2) The Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust, established in 2022, receives and manages Georgia’s share of national opioid settlements, addressing the impact of the opioid epidemic. In 2025 the three Rotary Districts in Georgia applied for and received $500,000 in private settlement funds – not taxpayer dollars – from the trust to fund local projects addressing community needs in five strategic areas:
- Healing Communities Through Harm Reduction (Naloxone delivery)
- Safe and Secure: Remove the Risk Via Disposal and Safe Storage
- Strengthen Numbers: Youth Addiction Prevention
- Someone to Call: 988 Awareness
- Employer Education: Public Awareness Campaigns and Employer Training
The Cartersville and Etowah West End Clubs have chosen to focus on strategy 4. “Someone to Call: 988 Awareness” after realizing that there is limited understanding or awareness of this program in Bartow County. Forty-three other clubs in Rotary District 6910 serving northern Georgia have also received grants to pursue other strategic areas.
- https://www.cdc.gov/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm
- https://www.axois.com/local/atlanta/2025/05/22/opioid-crisis-economic-impact-georgia
LOCAL IMPACT: Jessica Mitcham, Executive Director at Recovery Bartow, notes that rates of opioid overdoses in Bartow County are some of the highest in the state of Georgia. In 2023, the last year of completed data on the Georgia Department of Public Health website, Bartow County is one of the very few Georgia counties having over 30+ deaths/100,000 citizens per year. Mitcham states, “At Recovery Bartow, we believe that if more local citizens were aware of 988 and encouraged individuals in need to reach out ahead of being in full -blown crisis, this would significantly reduce some of the burdens on Georgia’s behavioral health care system. Our organization actively partners with local law enforcement. And Bartow 911 already uses 988 when appropriate for callers who need mental health support.” Mitcham adds, “We are excited to see the Rotary Clubs of Etowah and Cartersville build a robust local campaign to spread the word about 988 availability to all Georgia citizens.” Katie Gobbi, President of the Etowah West End Rotary Club, stated “our club is proud to be a small part of this larger effort by Rotarians statewide to help combat the opioid crisis. With this 988 public awareness campaign, we are seeking to reach people throughout our community and beyond because this affects everyone.”
Rick Shireman, Cartersville Rotary Club President, says that these grants will help our community become stronger. “As Rotarians, we work to support local communities to overcome adversities and improve the health of our neighbors and friends. The 988 Lifeline is a great tool to improve our community’s access to mental health support and to combat the tragedy of opioid addiction.”