METHUEN – Mayor Stephen N. Zanni and Chief Joseph Solomon announce that the Methuen Police Department will be hosting the second annual Community Addiction Resource Engagement Services (C.A.R.E.S.) Vigil in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day.
WHO:
Methuen Police Department’s C.A.R.E.S. Team
WHEN:
Thursday, Aug. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
WHERE:
Riverside Park, Riverside Drive, Methuen
WHAT:
International Overdose Awareness Day is held each year on Aug. 31 to raise awareness about overdoses and reduce the stigma of addiction and overdose related deaths. It is also meant to recognize the grief felt by family and friends whose loved ones have died or have a permanent injury as a result of an overdose.
“It’s time for us all to come together and acknowledge the opioid epidemic as a public health crisis,” Mayor Zanni said. “By hosting this vigil on International Overdose Awareness Day, we are pledging our support to continue fighting against this disease.”
The vigil will include a video montage, lighting and releasing lanterns, and a group called Angels of Addictions, started by Anne Marie Farley Zanfagna who lost her daughter to addiction. Zanfagna paints pictures of those who have lost their life to the disease of addiction.
The C.A.R.E.S. team will also be handing out memorial seeds for residents to plant in memory of lost loved ones.
“Countless lives have been lost to the disease of addiction and we must continue to stand together and help those who are suffering,” Chief Solomon said. “This vigil is an opportunity to remember those we have lost and recognize that the tragedy of an overdose is preventable.”
For more information about this event, contact Jennifer Burns at 978-701-7782 or Jacquelyn Ingersoll at 978-701-8195.