This Kennewick teen filmed a warning about opioids. Her dad and grandpa see the problem every day

One of the toughest parts of making the video was recruiting someone to star.

That's because the topic was drug abuse, and "it was hard to find somebody who wanted to be the poster boy for an opioid overdose," Dani Littrell said with a laugh.

But the 17-year-old Kennewick High School senior did find someone — her friend Steven Westermeyer — and plenty of other teens and adults willing to help make her sleek, moving, 1-minute public service announcement.

The finished product, called "Losing What Matters," is winning serious acclaim. It's been chosen as one of 10 finalists in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's "Operation Prevention: Video Challenge."

The deadline is May 15 to cast a vote for the People's Choice favorite. Other prizes also will be awarded, including a $10,000 scholarship for the overall winner.

Dani said she's proud of her video — and excited for the chance to share its powerful message about the dangers and toll of opioid abuse.

Speaking up and advocating is something she's used to.

Dani, daughter of Chris and Jaimie Littrell, is Washington's representative on D.A.R.E.'s Youth Advocacy Board. In the role, she's traveled around the country — and even has a trip to Sweden coming up — working on prevention and education.

D.A.R.E. aims to help kids steer clear of drugs, gangs and violence.

Dani also has a background that gives her special insight into why that kind of work is needed.

Her father and her grandfather both are longtime Kennewick police officers — dad, Chris, is a sergeant, and grandpa Craig is a commander.

Dani made the opioid video in one weekend, shooting the footage on her dad's camera. Her family got in on the act, along with several friends.

In the video, Dani shares a startling statistic:

"In 2015, opioid abuse led to 33,091 deaths in the United States," a text card reads.

With her family and friends as actors, she then depicts how a happy life can be derailed by addiction.

The main character —a basketball playing teen — has friends, a girlfriend and what appears to be a bright future on the court. But then he's injured and becomes addicted.

His life tailspins.

Robert W. Patterson, acting head of the DEA, said videos like Dani's make an impact.

“We are excited about engaging youth in this creative opportunity to communicate anti-opioid messages,” he said in a statement.

Dani plans to attend Whitworth University in Spokane in the fall. She'll study secondary education and literature, with plans to teach high school English.

And it's a safe bet she'll continue spreading her prevention message.

With the video, "I hope people understand that you can lose what matters in your life. Your family, love life, the friends around you — all of those are important to living a physically, spiritually and mentally healthy life. And all of that can get thrown away," she said.

"I want to make sure that nobody goes through that."

To view Dani's video and cast a People's Choice vote, go to operationprevention.com/vote.

This story was originally published May 5, 2018 at 4:14 PM with the headline "This Kennewick teen filmed a warning about opioids. Her dad and grandpa see the problem every day."