Due to a series of medical complications, her 25-year-old daughter, Kimberley, unintentionally became addicted to Vicodin. After three sessions of rehab, she used again, and overdosed.

Instead of focusing on her loss, Barney exhibits strength, speaking of hope for the future, of helping others, and of uniting a community to prevent addiction. With help from friend Lynne Seay, the two have turned tragedy into a successful fundraiser, the EMQ VIP (Volunteers Inspiring People) League's "Entertaining Throughout the Seasons" luncheon.

The luncheon was held for the first time in 2001 and is back at the Fairmont San Jose on May 1, with 650 people expected to attend. In addition to the $75 ticket cost, a silent auction and raffle are held to raise money. Top Park Avenue floral designer and decorator Renny Reynolds will visit the VIP League luncheon, lending his talents to attendees with a floral arranging demonstration.

All proceeds go directly to EMQ Children & Family Services' Addiction Prevention Services program for elementary through high school students.

Addiction Prevention Services is a program that focuses on alcohol, illegal drug and prescription drug use. In addition, education is provided about anger management and high-risk behaviors associated with using.

The event raised an unheard-of amount for a first-year endeavor—$190,000. With those funds, EMQ was able to extend the prevention program from 10 schools to 20. The program, which is used throughout Santa Clara County, now includes Saratoga High School, Los Gatos High School, Fisher Middle School, St. Andrew's School and Archbishop Mitty High School.

Initially funding for the VIP League came from Kimberley's memorial donations, with funds matched by the Barney family. Once the need for more money arose, the league began the luncheon.

Barney and Seay had already been volunteering with The Butter Paddle in Saratoga, but after Kimberley's death, the two wanted to promote a program that specifically targeted prevention. They realized a fundraiser was the only way to generate the kind of funds the program needed, given the many budget cuts that had sliced funding for the program.

A group was formed almost instantaneously, Seay says, with a network of friends ready to help. "We had 60 members instantly, and it just blossomed from there," says Seay, the administrative chairwoman this year.

Barney, who lives in Saratoga, says the majority of VIP League volunteers come from Saratoga. Los Gatos has the second highest number, with remaining members coming from San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and many places in-between.

Barney says that when she and her husband went through the ordeal of rehab with Kimberley, they discovered that people in her age bracket had a 97 percent chance of relapse after release. "So why do treatment?" she asked herself. "My husband and I didn't want to spend money donating for treatment. We wanted to help with prevention."

Relapse rates are extremely high because once people become addicts, their body chemistry is permanently altered. "Even if you don't want to be addicted and it's out of your body," it's still a challenge to fight the addiction, Barney says. "Our goal was to make sure nobody gets addicted, because once you do the chances of changing forever are very, very slim."

Another issue facing the rehab situation is that a one-month stay at a treatment center can run anywhere from $2,000 to $12,000, a price many cannot afford.

"Anytime she said she was ready we would take her and pay for her. But after a while, it's just very scary because you don't know how long it is going to be" before the relapse. "You get mad at the person, because you think, 'Why are they relapsing?' But it is a disease. You are never cured. You can never go back to drinking, prescription drugs, nothing. Once you go back, you're hooked, and most people don't understand that."

Barney's oldest daughter, Carla Wilson, is active in the VIP League and now works for the prevention program.

"The program seems to be very beneficial for prevention, or for young people to get help right away," Barney says.

Addiction Prevention Services manager Toni Welch has worked for the program for 12 years. She says she does it because working with children is her passion. The goal of the program is not only to break the cycle of addiction but also to understand "the impact that genetics plays and the role that society plays, and that community and the culture of the school are all pieces of prevention," Welch says.

This problem "cuts across all economic boundaries," she says. "It doesn't matter whether you are in Los Gatos or East San Jose. Kids are more similar than they are different. This is our community and it can happen to anybody. The amount of stress that young people feel, especially in this area—to get into the best schools and have a high grade point average—with those stresses, kids will use. We have a good community and there is support, but we need to realize that a lot of our kids are in pain."

Given the rising rates of addiction, the program has had a difficult time dealing with budget cuts, in which programs such as Addiction Prevention Services are the first to go.

"That is why we are looking at events from the VIP League," Welch says. "It is a fun event, and the timing on this is really important because of our kids."

To allow the majority of proceeds to go to the prevention program, the VIP League is an all-volunteer project.

"The event is so unique," says fundraising committee member Judy Levin. "It is the most volunteer-driven event I've seen. There was very little EMQ staff involvement; all the planning was organized by volunteers. It allows it to be all profit, which is really nice." Levin says she particularly likes the event because it is "raising money specifically to give to so many middle and high schools. You feel the bang for your buck because you know where the money is going."

Continuing with the theme from last year, the luncheon will feature eight professionally decorated tables that will be raffled off. There will be five returning designers, including Avery's, The Butter Paddle, Creations by Jan, the French Cellar and Macy's. Sur La Table, Linda Floyd and Casa Casa will create new tables.

Internationally acclaimed floral designer Renny Reynolds will make an appearance, offering a demonstration on creating arrangements.

"It worked well into the theme, because when you are entertaining, you usually have centerpieces," Seay says. "We wanted a special event featuring something that had not been done."

Reynolds' work has been shown in W, House and Garden and House Beautiful. He has provided settings and designs for several presidential events, as well as the 146th anniversary for the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and the induction dinner for the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is the author of The Art of the Party, a book detailing the art of dishing up food, fun and fabulousness. Reynolds will be available after the luncheon to sign his book.