Forest Park Project Stages Golf Tournament to Combat Opioid Epidemic

SPRINGFIELD — The Forest Park Project staged its Fourth Annual Golf Tournament on Sept. 26 at Franconia Golf Course in Springfield.

The Forest Park Project was started in the Spring of 2018 by the friends and families of Brian Metzger and Christian Diaz, who were lost to opioid addiction in June of 2015 and May of 2018, respectively, to combat the epidemic.

Thanks to the generosity of its supporters and multiple successful fundraisers, The Forest Park Project — in conjunction with the Michael J. Dias Foundation — opened Christian & Brian’s House on Mill Street in Springfield last summer.

Christian & Brian’s House serves as a sober house for men who are serious about their recovery and serves as an important stop on their journey to reclaiming their lives.

Gifted athletes with great senses of humor, Metzger and Diaz demonstrated extraordinary abilities to connect with virtually every person who came within their spheres. Lifelong friends from the Forest Park neighborhood, they touched scores of people on deep, personal levels. 

The Golf Tournament has been one of The Forest Park Project’s most successful fundraisers each year and provides much-needed funds to keep Christian & Brian’s House up and running. The Forest Park Project is also actively looking to expand to get into other areas to fight the epidemic, including the potential of opening a house for women in the region who are suffering with the same issues.