Greetings! I’m Valerie Plaster, born & raised in Sandpoint, Idaho. I graduated from the University of Oregon & taught for 22 years in rural Alaska before moving home in 2003. We are a small but close family - our joys are our grandson & two aging Jack Russell Terriers. Our family has been touched by addiction & mental illness. I’ve attended Alanon & NAMI, & I volunteered for several years as a guardian ad litem for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Breaking the stigma surrounding mental illness & advocating for healthcare, addiction/mental health treatment, & community health centers is my passion now. We need housing & supportive treatment for vulnerable people. Shifting monies from criminalization & incarceration to treatment, job training, & supportive living for addicted individuals will make our communities safer & more humane.