On Thursday, April 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., The Peace Gallery in Damariscotta will host a free screening and community discussion of "Elisif’s Story," a powerful 36-minute video that traces one young woman’s journey through substance use disorder and death, and her family’s experience of love and unimaginable loss. The event, hosted by Elisif’s father, Damariscotta artist Peter Bruun, is part of a growing movement to increase community-based solutions to addiction and will spotlight how local policy and support networks can make a life-saving difference. 

The screening is followed by an audience conversation with a panel featuring Maine State Representative Lydia Crafts, Char Corbett (executive director of Healthy Kids), and Sharon Bailey (founder of Grieving Hearts of Lincoln County), which will explore how personal connection, compassionate policy, and community engagement can ease the pain and isolation of addiction and support long-term recovery.  

“This story matters, because Elisif mattered,” said Sharon Bailey. “Every time we speak openly about addiction and grief, and speak of those we’ve lost, we end silence and shame and reclaim community.”

State Rep. Lydia Crafts added, “Events like this remind us that policy must be personal. When we center the voices of people affected by addiction, we create more responsive, humane systems of care.”  

Peace Gallery Director Bernie DeLisle is proud of the Gallery’s role in these conversations. “Programs like 'Elisif’s Story' reflect the heart of our mission,” he said. “Art is a powerful bridge to empathy, and the Gallery is committed to being a space where difficult stories are told, honored, and shared for the healing of all.”  

This is the second of a four-event series featuring different themes and panels. The third takes place in Boothbay on April 30 (panel theme: treatment and intervention) and the fourth in Wiscasset on May 14 (panel theme: substance use prevention).