THUNDER BAY – Dino Cicchitano described his son Frankie as a kind-hearted, good kid who would give you the shirt off his back.
The 26-year-old tragically died of a fentanyl overdose two years ago and in honour of his son’s memory, Cicchitano, a financial advisor with Co-operators, and the insurance company donated $10,000 to the DEK Foundation earlier this month to help people suffering with addiction.
“I’ve met (founder) Carolyn (Karle) and I really like what she’s doing for her charity and I’m very proud of what she’s doing and I thought this would be a good organization,” he said, adding Frankie did a lot for the community and he had been in recovery for four years before he relapsed.
“My son had went back to university, he finished his degree,” said Cicchitano.
Karle knows that loss as her daughter Dayna also died of an overdose three years ago.
“I don’t want to see anyone go through this,” she said. “I know the pain and the sadness and the void. I wish I could take away some of that pain.”
Karle said she often says to Cicchitano how incredible their kids were and they need to be remembered for who they were, not just their addictions.
“I’m doing this for Dayna, for my healing, but I’m also doing it for all the other families as well,” said Karle. “We can bring some comfort.”
One of the DEK Foundation’s main goals is to raise funds for an aftercare home for women who have just finished treatment. But money raised through donations like the one from the Co-operators will be partly used for education support.
“I’m seeing a lot of the young kids in recovery heading back to school and it’s pretty challenging for a lot of them,” said Karle, noting they have expenses like rent or they have children and other responsibilities.
“We are so grateful,” she said of the donation. “We can do so many things with the support of the businesses in the community like this.”
