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Ed Dunin-Wasowicz believes that if you want to make a difference in the world, earlier is better. And with the holiday season upon us, there is no time like the present.

"I like to get involved in youth efforts: They are the most fruitful," said Dunin-Wasowicz, a member of the Pima County-Tucson Commission on Addiction Prevention & Treatment who has been active in instituting the Mom & Kids Who Survive Recovery Holiday Drive. "If you start early and can do something to positively impact a situation in people when they are as young as possible, then you really brighten up the future."

Dunin-Wasowicz, a partner in the Fresco Pizzeria & Pastaria Franchise Corporation and principal in D-W McGarrity Inc., has been involved with the commission since October 2006. As the public relations subcommittee chairman, he has spearheaded a public relations campaign about the commission's efforts to reduce underage drinking, prevent drug abuse and offer treatment to those suffering addiction. Also a volunteer with Youth on Their Own, Dunin-Wasowicz said the significant population of women in recovery and their children is often lost in the shuffle.

"Addiction is not pretty, and these women and children are often overlooked for more palatable causes," he said.

Dunin-Wasowicz said the commission, formed in 2001 by the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the Tucson City Council to provide advice and make recommendations on the social, financial and health consequences of addiction in Pima County, is working to promote awareness about the positive impact treatment can have in turning lives around. It seeks to advance the message among those afflicted by addiction and in the community at large.

"Recovery works, and there is more and more compelling evidence of that since recovery programs are getting better at treating the whole person, if you will," he said.

He believes that positive reinforcement is particularly helpful to those women during the stressful holiday season and that the holiday drive offers an opportunity for the entire community to show its support.

Beneficiaries include clients of The Haven, which provided services for 200 women recovering from alcohol, methamphetamines and other substance addictions last year; Compass Health Care's Vida Nueva program; CODAC Behavioral Health Service's collaborative Mothers Caring About Self (MCAS) program and Las Amigas residence for pregnant and parenting mothers with substance-abuse disorders; COPE Community Services; and La Frontera Center, which offers mental health and substance abuse services at more than 20 locations citywide.