Two events are planned for Burlington County, including one vigil on Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. at Indian Acres Tree Farm in Medford.
By Melissa Riker
The Sun
International Overdose Awareness Day is once again set to light the way to recovery across the nation.
For this year’s nation-wide event, two vigils are set to be held in Burlington County on Aug. 31.
One vigil will take place at the Burlington County Amphitheater, 5 Pioneer Blvd, in Westampton at 7 p.m.
This vigil is described as “a gathering of family, friends and community who have lost loved ones to overdose.”
Those who attend will take part in a candlelight vigil and a remembrance slide show, while also learning about resources for addiction prevention and treatment in a “stigma free” environment.
The other event for scheduled for Burlington County this year is set to take place near the boarder of Marlton and Medford at 6 p.m. at Indian Acres Tree Farm, 111 Tuckerton Road, Medford.
There, hundreds of community members are expected to gather to grieve and remember the lives lost due to addiction and to spread hope for those in recovery.
The Overdose Awareness Day vigil for Medford was started last year by Gail O’Brien, founder of the Adam O’Brien Recovery Foundation, after recognizing the need for the Burlington County community to come together and show support for one another.
O’Brien started the Adam O’Brien Recovery Foundation in 2014, after the loss of her son Adam, following struggles with his addiction. The foundation guides recovering addicts through the rehab process, provides sober living facilities, transportation to treatment, assistance in gaining employment and more.
“We walk them through the whole recovery process and we support them,” O’Brien said. “We saw a need to help these people, it was so needed in our area.”
O’Brien hopes that the vigil will continue to break the stigma surrounding addiction, and that it will show others that they are not alone in their struggles — not only for those recovering, but for their family members and close friends as well.
Speakers and local nonprofit organizations present on Aug. 31 for the Medford event include: Assemblyman Ryan Peters, Teri Earl with Marlton Elks, Tom Clark with HeroinKillsNJ, Joseph Mitsch with Step by Step, Tom Murphy with Offering Hope, Lisa Vandegrift with Sabrina’s Law, L.E.A.D. Officer Bill Kinner, Staffing Solutions, Abbies Angels, Hand N Heart, Parents Coalition for Substance Abuse Awareness and Siblings Against Substance Abuse.
“For the second year, Burlington County is holding an International Overdose Awareness Day vigil and it is more needed than ever. People are becoming more aware by the day how big of a crisis drug addiction is in this country, and we need to make sure beating this isn’t something that falls on the back burner,” Assemblyman Peters said. “Not only does the vigil continue the conversation on fighting the drug overdose epidemic, but it also provides a time for our area to heal together and find support within the community.”
To learn more about International Overdose Awareness Day and vigils set to take place across the country, visit www.overdoseday.com/usa/.
