A rally for Overdose Awareness Day is set from 3 until 7 p.m. on August 31 in Denton.
The rally location is 109 Market Street on the courthouse green and will include several speakers; resources and information; food, drinks and baked goods for sale. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets.
“This event is an effort to bring awareness to the opioid/heroin epidemic many in Caroline County are facing,” said Catherine Bowery, who organized the event. “This is a nationwide event and Caroline County’s second year – last year we had 150 people attend and we hope to reach many more this year.”
Scheduled speakers include: Glenn Fueston Jr., executive director, Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention; Ruth A. Colbourne, superintendent at Caroline County Department of Corrections; Judge Jonathan G. Newell, Caroline County administrative judge, Circuit Court; Brian Ebling, director of emergency services in Caroline County; John Darling, drug court coordinator; John R. Bounds, Caroline County sheriff; plus people recovering from drug use disorders and family members who have lost a child due to an overdose.
Overdose Awareness Day, a national observance, recognizes those who’ve died from overdoses, and spreads the message that overdose deaths are preventable. Attending offers a powerful way to stand together and remember those we’ve lost. The global events also help spread the message that the tragedy of overdose death IS preventable.
Melanie Rodriguez, drug and alcohol prevention specialist with the Caroline County Health Department, plans to attend the rally with a table full of resources.
“We’re working hard to help the community learn how to help prevent the use and misuse of alcohol, tobacco and drugs,” Rodriguez said. “Proper medication storage and disposal is one way the public can help prevent overdose deaths – Narcan training is another.”
The Denton rally is hosted by the local chapter of the national FED UP! Coalition, which is a grassroots coalition of people calling for an end to the epidemic of drug dependency and overdose deaths attributed to opioids. Rallies are scheduled for August 31 across the country, including Washington, D.C.
Bowrey said the goals of the event include showing that recovery is possible and showing local government the community needs help in the fight.
For more information on the event, please contact Bowrey at [email protected]. More information on the Fed Up! Coalition is available at www.feduprally.org.
For information on substance use and misuse prevention services, contact Rodriguez at 410-479-8164. Information also is available on Facebook @CarolineCountyPrevention.
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