Sis Wenger, a pioneering advocate for children affected by addiction and former leader of the National Association for Children of Addiction (formerly National Association for Children of Alcoholics), recently passed away.
She also worked tirelessly to reach children living with addiction directly, spreading the message that they were not alone. Under a partnership between Maplegrove and the Junior League of Birmingham, she built and managed from her own home a team of hundreds of trained volunteers who visited elementary schools throughout southeast Michigan, teaching children where to turn for help if their own families were affected. By 1985, this program had reached more than 70,000 children, parents, and professionals across metropolitan Detroit. She regularly spoke in high schools and in a variety of other forums. For her work during this period, she received two presidential recognitions, including a Certificate of Appreciation from President Reagan in 1984 for her volunteer leadership during National Drug Abuse Education and Prevention Week.
In 1991, she was invited to lead what is now the National Association for Children of Addiction, which she led for more than 30 years, until she retired in 2022 at the age of 85. Under Sis’s leadership, and in partnership with devoted supporters, colleagues, volunteers, clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and recovery advocates across the country, NACoA became the principal national voice for children and families affected by addiction.
She was interviewed by Bill White in 2014 and shared the story of NACoA’s formation, her concerns about reversals of progress, diminished media coverage, and several other topics. It’s well worth your time. Here are her reflections for the current generation of addiction and child welfare professionals.
On the diminished attention to the problem of children affected by addiction:
The isolation, confusion, and desperate silence of the child living in an addicted family has not changed, and it will not until we as a society begin to put a face on this child and remind all those in the “recovery movement” as well as those professionals who have the opportunity, in the decisions they make every day, to provide healing and support rather than deepen the hurt and damage.
White, W. (2014). Advocacy for Affected Children: An Interview with Sis Wenger, National Association for Children of Alcoholics. Published at https://chestnut.org/li/william-white-library/william-white-library
On the future of the movement:
…we’re always going to need advocates to get this issue on the table and keep it there long enough for that common knowledge to grip the nation and create that systemic change. Our society is still not focused on breaking the generational cycle. We’re still primarily focused on the addicted individual, no matter that person’s age or stage of life. My own belief is that the mission of NACoA – “to eliminate the adverse impact of alcohol and drug use on children and families” – will not be fulfilled because of actions by people in the addiction field. It will happen because of the people who work in our education systems, our child welfare systems, and our faith communities who will gain the empowering knowledge they need to act where they are and say “ENOUGH!”
White, W. (2014). Advocacy for Affected Children: An Interview with Sis Wenger, National Association for Children of Alcoholics. Published at https://chestnut.org/li/william-white-library/william-white-library
Here are her reflections for the current generation of addiction and child welfare professionals:
I think I would ask them to remember the core facts that answer the question, Why NACoA? One out of every four children in this country lives with a person who is suffering from, if not addiction, a serious enough alcohol or other drug problem to create havoc in the family that is developmentally damaging to the children. No matter what helping role you are in within the community, the problems you are addressing cannot be fully resolved until these more hidden problems are brought to light and addressed. Remember to work to create a climate in local communities where children and families can tell the truth about their experience—no matter what service or support system they are in. Remember that if these children cannot be seen, they feel invisible and helpless. You must speak in such a way that they will feel safe enough to find their own voice. Remember to help meaningful adults to reach out and touch these children and families and offer them a way to break the silence. Doing nothing is never neutral; not acting increases the pain and deepens the problem. What I would tell everyone is to be part of the solution rather than an inadvertent part of the problem.
White, W. (2014). Advocacy for Affected Children: An Interview with Sis Wenger, National Association for Children of Alcoholics. Published at https://chestnut.org/li/william-white-library/william-white-library
Part of Sis’s legacy is the work NACoA has done with Sesame Street to provide education and support to children affected by addiction. Here is a recent example.
If you knew Sis, or are moved by her work, the family asks that memorials be directed to the National Association for Children of Addiction at nacoa.org/donate.
