Community Corner
Farmington Hills Mom's Website Helps Community Battle Against K2
Shaken by the Cipriano family tragedy, Mary Masko Joyce creates a one-stop shop for anyone concerned about the sale of synthetic drugs.
The violent assault two months ago on the Cipriano family in Farmington Hills deeply affected local business owner Mary Masko Joyce, as it did many in the community.
Today, Joyce is using her talents to spread the word about a synthetic drug that could be tied to the deadly attack. The owner of Nicayla Enterprises, a web and software development company, she launched ban-k2.com in May.
The idea came from a friend who suggested a website that would identify which stores in the area sold K2, also known as "Spice", and other synthetic drugs. Seeing efforts to combat sale of the drug going on among various groups and communities, Joyce realized the site needed to be "a hub of everything, where parents can buy tests, people could sign petitions, post events."
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"My goal is to applaud the people that are doing things and bring everybody together," she added.
Over the past month, Joyce said, the site "kinda just kept growing." Most recently, a man from Livingston County asked for administrative privileges, so he could add information from his area.
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Content now includes a list of where K2 is sold in more than two dozen cities, factual information about the drug, resources for parents, a list of groups battling the drug, an events calendar and a tribute to Bob Cipriano, who was killed in the April 16 attack that severely injured his wife Rose and son Salvatore.
The website, Joyce said, is "kind of a labor of love."
"Bob Cipriano coached all four of my kids," she said. "It really, really affected me when this happened to Bob and Rose and their family. I felt bad for the family. I felt bad for the fact that these drugs are out there and so unpredictable."
Something else drives Joyce to put in the time to keep up and promote the website. She's the mother of four teenagers and said she would be "very misguided" to think they haven't been exposed to K2.
"It just hit so close to home," she said.
If you would like to be a contributor on ban-k2.com, contact Joyce at mej@nicayla.com.
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