Spanberger Honors Orange County High School Student as “Central Virginian of the Week”

**VIDEO /AUDIO: On Floor of the U.S. House, Spanberger Applauds Hannah’s Dedication, Courage, & Service to Others in the Orange County Community**

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger yesterday recognized Orange County High School senior Hannah Howard as this week’s “Central Virginian of the Week.”

Spanberger honored Hannah for her work to promote addiction awareness, overdose prevention, and mental health resiliency across the Orange County community.

Last year, Hannah lost her brother to a fentanyl overdose. Following his death, Hannah has worked to strengthen mental health and substance abuse resources in the area. Through her governor’s school senior legacy project, she has focused on working directly with addicts, reducing the stigma surrounding addiction, and learning more about the recovery process. Additionally, Hannah recently learned how to administer Narcan, has led a Narcan training session in Orange, and has given talks focused on Narcan administration.

Click here to watch and download Spanberger’s full speech. A full transcript of her remarks is below:

—

I rise today in recognition of the perseverance, strength, and compassion of my constituent Hannah Howard.

Hannah is a Gordonsville resident, Orange County High School senior, and Blue Ridge Virtual Governor’s School student. On May 8, 2019, Hannah lost her older brother, Devon, to a heroin overdose.

In the nine months since Devon’s death, Hannah has shown tremendous courage by studying addiction and educating her peers. As part of her senior project, Hannah interned at a rehabilitation facility where she learned about the recovery process and engaged with patients to understand substance use disorders. Following her internship, Hannah not only became certified to administer Narcan herself, but she led her first Narcan Certification course to members of the Orange County Youth Council and plans to hold additional trainings in the future.

I admire Hannah’s empathy and determination.  Through unimaginable loss, she has created a framework within the Orange community to prevent tragedies like the one she and her family have faced.

Madam Speaker, please join me in thanking Hannah for her selflessness and her service to Virginia’s Seventh District.

—

Click here to read an Orange County Review article from January 2020 highlighting Hannah’s story.

BACKGROUND

Last week, Spanberger began her “Central Virginian of the Week” series by honoring Powhatan veteran firefighter Michael Lecik. Click here to watch her remarks.

###