Noah Rodriguez passed away August 2021, just days into his sophomore year at Johnson High School.
“He was just very loving and kind-hearted, and a prankster, an athlete, an honor student, and just had tons of friends. [He] was a very popular boy,” Janel said. “He had been playing competitive football since he was 4 [years old], and, unfortunately, we couldn’t see him play his sophomore year.”
In the days following Noah's death and memorial service, friends and fellow peers continued to suffer from overdoses, Janel said, which sparked the idea for the billboard.
"I want these kids to see their friend up there. Noah's from the community. We know a lot of people in the area, and I want them to see that this is real [and think], 'That is my friend, and he is never coming back,'" Janel said.
The billboard went up Jan. 8 and is located off Exit 217 going northbound on I-35, near the La Quinta Inn & Suites. The billboard features three smiling faces: 15-year-old Noah Rodriguez, 17-year-old Kevin McConville and 15-year-old Garrett Garcia. Next to their faces reads "fentanyl steals your friends." There is also a webpage listed: www.forever15project.org, also started by Janel.
"That's my son's forever age. He will always be 15," Janel said.
The hope with the Forever15 Project is to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and provide resources to others, including addiction and substance use treatment.
"We want [kids] to think about [their] decisions without throwing the hammer on them and telling them they're bad kids for doing what they're doing. Noah wasn't a bad kid; Noah made a bad decision." Janel said. "There's a lot that—in my heart, in my head—that I'm juggling with what I want to do in honor of my son."
Janel has teamed up with the Hays County Sheriff's Office to share her story with other school districts in the region, churches, home owner's associations and anyone who will listen.
"I'm not a CEO of anything; I'm just a mom who lost her son, and I want to connect with other parents and other teenagers. I just want to spread awareness and my love, and show people that there is help, and there's nothing wrong and it's not embarrassing to ask for help," Janel said. "I just don't want any other family to have to go through this.
Janel has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to extend the time the billboard will be up. For now, the billboard will be on display until April 8.
