Who We Are

Project Live Upper Perk is a grassroots organization, formed by representatives of the Upper Perkiomen Valley community in response to the growing number of individuals and families who are suffering from addiction/alcoholism.

Board President: Will Pike

Vice President: Mary Young

Secretary: Erin Sweed

Treasurer: Luanne Stauffer

Executive Director: Cathy Fried

 

Our Mission

Project Live will provide educational, social, preventative, and rehabilitative support to those affected by Substance Use Disorder in the Upper Perkiomen Valley. Moreover, we aim to strengthen the fabric of the Upper Perk Valley by making inter-agency cooperation the normal mode of operation to care for those in our services.

Financial Assistance

We will work to attain the financial means to bridge the monetary gap between what insurance companies or government assistance programs will cover for an individual to receive immediate and exigent treatment associated with substance use disorder. (This alone will save lives.)

Community Partnerships

Foster strong and everlasting community partnerships to better the quality of life of all person(s) suffering, in one way or another, from this disease, now and in the future.

Form Committees

We will form appropriate committees with members who either live or have strong affiliations to the Upper Perkiomen Valley in order to create strong social bonds and effectively do the assigned work of the committe.

Open A Business

Open a business (such as a used furniture retailer) in order to generate income for Project Live. The business would also provide employment to individuals who successfully graduated from the court’s diversion program and are in the process of being reintegrated.

Looking To Volunteer?

If you would like to give your time and talents, please contact us via email: projectliveuporg@gmail.com and indicate which committee you are interested in serving on:

  1. Funding
  2. Legislation & Courts
  3. Mentoring/Community Outreach & Marketing
  4. Prevention & Education

OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Luanne B. Stauffer

Occupation:

President, Upper Perkiomen Valley Chamber of Commerce

Executive Director, PerkUp Corporation

Community Organizations: 

Project Live, Executive Committee

Perkiomen School, Board Member

St. Luke’s Hospital – Quakertown Campus, Board Member

St. Luke’s University Health Network, Board Member

Upper Perkiomen Valley Rotary Club, Charter Member

Upper Perkiomen Valley Regional Planning Commission

Schwenkfelder Church Publication Committee

Position within Project Live:

At-Large Member, Executive Committee

I am a member of Project Live because:

I’m thankful to live in a community that cares. Misuse and overdoses of opioids is a multi-layered health issue threatening the well-being of our small, rural community. Project Live is a healthy approach to strengthening our community.

Michael Tannous

Occupation:

Executive Director of the Upper Perkiomen Valley YMCA

Position within Project Live:
Acting Secretary

Community Organizations:
Present Board member of The Open Link
Present Board member of the Upper Perkiomen Valley Chamber of Commerce
Co-chair of the Legislative Committee of the UPV Chamber
Present Board member of Finish The Mission – taking the Gospel to Nepal
Charter member of newly formed Upper Perkiomen Valley Rotary Club
Committee and organizing member of Upper Perkiomen Valley Young Life
Friend of Luanne B. Stauffer

I am a member of Project Live because:

Our YMCA facility and membership and staff have a great capacity to facilitate health and well-being in our community. It is our explicit mission as a Y to do this.
Moreover, many of the staff and volunteers of the Y are caring people.

Catherine Hummel Fried

Community Involvement:
Girl Scouts
Upper Perk Domestic Violence Task Force
Open Link volunteer
Upper Perk Ambulance Association Board Member
Upper Hanover Township Parks and Recreation
Upper Perkiomen Sportsmen’s Association
Montgomery County Camp Cadet

Position within Project Live:
Executive Committee Co-Chair

I am a member of Project Live because:
Every family has been touched in some way by this opioid crisis; mine included which resulted in a death. This is a difficult topic to speak openly about for fear of others’ judgments, criticisms, and rejections. I see individual devastation and irreparable damage to families due to addiction every day in the courtroom. There are so many barriers to overcome to get to the first level of sobriety and an even more difficult process of maintenance. Project Live is a gathering of a community to offer support, guidance, and understanding of the trials contributed to addiction; it is an opportunity for all community members to join together to defeat substance use disorder and its impact on society as a whole.

Michele Fillippo

Occupation:

Project Coordinator, PerkUp

Community Organizations:

Project Live, Committee Co-Chair, 501c3

Upper Perkiomen Valley – PerkUp, Project Coordinator

Upper Perkoimen Valley Regional Planning Commission

Upper Perkiomen Bird & Wildlife Festival, Committee Member

MontcoWorks – Economic & Workforce Development, Local Management Committee – Member/Partner

Position within Project Live: 

Project Live, Committee Co-Chair, 501c3

I am a member of Project Live because:

Employed in the UPV for almost a decade, I learned and know that this is a caring community.  Project Live embodies just that – concern and caring for the community and is bringing about awareness, guidance and assistance to the opioid epidemic. 

Here and everywhere, we are all surrounded by this epidemic and I feel compelled to be a part of this grass roots effort.

 

David Lintvedt

Community Organizations:

St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pennsburg

Project-Live

Position within Project Live:

Chairman of the Community Outreach and Marketing Committee

I am a member of Project Live because:

I care about our community!

Addiction to drugs and/or alcohol causes lasting damage to the families, friendships, businesses and organizations that make up our community! 

The disease of addiction does not discriminate, it can and does strike everywhere, leaving both the addicts and the people in their lives feeling lost, frustrated, alone, and unsure of where to turn for help and support!

As a person in recovery, and having known the challenges of having an Addict in my life, I wanted to share what I have learned about Addiction in order to assure those who are struggling know that they are not alone and that there is no shame in this illness!

Addiction is best faced together, as a community, like our community, the Upper Perkiomen Valley, where people have strong values and are committed making our home, a better a place to live!

Will Pike

Occupation:

Retired Teacher

Community organizations:

Position within the project live:

Acting President of the Executive Committee

I am a member of Project Live because:

I served as a Jr. High/Middle School Health Educator for 33 1/2 years. Throughout that time, I witnessed the devastating effects of substance misuse and addiction in both students and families. Frustrated that teaching about the damage (caused by drugs) to our youth was not enough, I sought to do more. I volunteered and was trained as a SAP (Student Assistance Program) member.  For over twenty years, our team performed interventions, fostered assessments and facilitated support groups. Upon retiring from teaching I sought to continue working in education via the election to the UPSD school board. As a school director, I saw the need to provide support to both our schools and community regarding the present drug/opiate crisis. This brought me to the formation of a drug task force that evolved into Project Live. It is my hope that as an executive committee member of Project Live, I can help to strengthen the school and community partnership.