On September 14, 2026, Festival Napa Valley & Addiction Education Society will host an extraordinary evening at the historic Carolands Chateau in Hillsborough — honoring legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli with the prestigious Angels of the Arts Award in recognition of his remarkable humanitarian and philanthropic legacy. The night will feature a special performance by world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell and soprano Larisa Martínez, accompanied by pianist Peter Dugan, alongside exceptional young artists. Proceeds from this elegant reception, concert, and dinner will directly benefit the Addiction Education Society, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation's Voices Of program, and Festival Napa Valley's Arts for All programming — making every seat at the table a meaningful act of giving. The evening is generously supported by the Johnson family and is held in loving memory of Dane Johnson, whose charitable legacy continues to inspire lives far beyond his own.

The Addiction Education Society closed out its 2025–26 academic year in Anaheim, California, with classes at Sapolu Destined Academy. Executive Director Daniel Dadoun and Programs Director Christopher Field traveled down to lead the sessions in person, teaching a group of 25 middle school students, all of whom are high-performing athletes.AES is a nonprofit that provides education and resources on substance addiction, grounded in the understanding that addiction is a disease.

Thank you

We are grateful to the leadership and staff at Sapolu Destined Academy for hosting AES and for sharing our commitment to educating young people. As we close this academic year, we want to thank everyone who helped make these classes possible, and we look forward to continuing this work in the year ahead.Prevention education depends on people who believe in it. If our work resonates with you, consider making a donation to AES so we can reach the next classroom.

AES was proud to debut Should Susan Drink? at Crystal Springs Uplands School from April 27 through May 18 — bringing cutting-edge, evidence-based prevention directly to 98 sophomore students. Alongside the program, students engaged in a new case study exercise designed to deepen critical thinking around real-world alcohol use scenarios.

Student Response

The response was remarkable: students praised Should Susan Drink? for its honest, science-backed exploration of adolescent alcohol use and the measurable impact early drinking has on the developing brain — exactly the kind of meaningful engagement we strive for.

This year marks AES's sixth consecutive year partnering with Crystal, a relationship built on shared commitment to student wellness and evidence-based education. We are deeply grateful for Crystal's continued trust in our programs and their unwavering dedication to equipping students with the knowledge and skills to make healthier choices. We look forward to returning in 2026 and building on the strong foundation we've created together.

• Kennedy Middle School in Redwood City, CA - We taught 300 7th graders, the entire class, at Kennedy Middle this year and hope to continue the legacy next year!

• Pollicita Middle School in Daly City, CA - We taught 150 6th graders at Pollicita Middle in the Spring quarter!

The special rollout screening of our new program will be held on February 18th from 4:30-7:00 pm at the Harmon Burns theater in Building 930 on the Franklin Templeton Campus.

In collaboration with Harvard McLean Hospital, AES has developed a four-part video program targeting high school students called “Should Susan Drink?” A private screening with 30 high school students will gather to provide input and suggestions on rolling out the program to schools in the Bay Area in the Fall. The program is a neuroscience-based video series that follows a high school student through three scientific experiments to determine her personal risk for addiction as she decides whether to drink at a party.

Dr. Silveri, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, will be attending to support the content delivery. If you are interested in attending, scan the QR code displayed in the flyer below or contact Isaac Braunstein at ibraunstein@addictioneducationsociety.org

• McKinley Institute of Technology - Program: "How Did This Happen to Me?" 158 students were impacted across five sessions. Over 20 students completed the program in Spanish, facilitated by an AES program trainer. Modules on vaping and fentanyl were included. Additionally, a special guest speaker shared his personal story about his challenges with substance use.

• Fernando Rivera - Program: "How Did This Happen to Me?" 35 8th-grade leadership students participated.

• TIDE Academy - Program: "How Did This Happen to Me?" 100 10th-grade students were impacted across five program sessions.