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Tinker Cooper
is the recipient of many awards, including the Jefferson Award for Community
Service and the Presidential Daily Point of Light Award.
Tinker Cooper's FAD
Tinker
Cooper's son, Joe, died of a drug overdose at age 26. "Joe was a
warm, sensitive person who never did anything to hurt a living soul,"
says Tinker. "And yet no one called 911 to help him. They let my
son die so they wouldn't get in trouble."
While dealing with her grief, Tinker Cooper was asked by the local sheriff's
office to help produce a video about the danger of drug abuse. Rather
than turn inward in self-pity, Tinker agreed and soon found herself serving
others in ways she could not have predicted. The video was a massive success
and was distributed across the U.S. and Canada. She learned through this
work that there are many families suffering from the loss of loved ones
due to a drug overdose. This led Tinker to found a support group for such
families: Families Against Drugs (FAD).
FAD grew and soon evolved into an action group dedicated to drug education
and prevention. Tinker retired from her career as a teacher to dedicate
her life to this cause. She now spends full-time visiting schools, drug
education and rehabilitation centers, churches, jails, and juvenile facilities.
She works with law enforcement agencies and government officials and has
testified before congress on the need for stricter sentencing for drug
dealers, drug treatment in jails, aftercare for released prisoners, and
the development of overdose hotlines. Her unwavering dedication has helped
countless people and has saved many lives.
"I don't want anyone else to have to go through what I did—the
loss of a child," says Tinker Cooper, and "I will never let
people forget who Joe was or how he died." Through her experience
she has learned a basic ingredient in dealing with loss. "You've
got to give back," she says. "This has helped me deal with the
loss of my son and it makes you feel so good to help others."
FAD website
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