New job, new fundraising piece for PAARI

Yes, it's a new job, but it has a big value. The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI), a nonprofit focused on raising awareness of substance use disorders and engaging with law enforcement and public safety agencies to create deflection and diversion pathways, appointed a fundraiser Maureen Bilek brings with her a wealth of experience in grants and program development. This was the first position of its kind at PAARI, and it was essential for them to identify a leader with extensive experience in fundraising and someone who had a deep understanding of the opioid crisis. Bilek spent 13 years with Advocate Health Care, the largest integrated health care system in Illinois, where she served as their director of Government Grants and Program Development. There, she led philanthropic strategy for 27 hospitals and secured an impressive $100 million in grant funding throughout her tenure. “I am delighted to be joining PAARI and look forward to enhancing and supporting the great programs that PAARI, its staff, and the board have accelerated to address the opioid crisis,” said Bilek. “I emphatically endorse its national commitment to implementing deflection and diversion programs, its innovative ways to improving access to treatment and recovery for individuals suffering with addiction and its fundamental charge for social responsibility.”