CLEVELAND — Five thousand purple flags have been planted in the grass in Public Square, one for each Ohioan who died from accidental drug overdoses last year.
Thursday is International Overdose Awareness Day. The stage is set at Cleveland’s Public Square for the first-ever Waves of Awareness Event.
“Waves of Awareness will unite communities across Northeast Ohio to honor and remember our friends and family members lost to accidental overdoses,” stated Daniel Lettenberger-Klein, CEO of Stella Maris. “Together, we can build awareness and also celebrate messages of hope, reminding everyone that overdose deaths are preventable, recovery is possible, and everyone deserves equal access to recovery.”
Stella Maris has brought together and is working with roughly 60 organizations from four counties that will be at Public Square on Thursday.
The day-long event will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a video slideshow from the main stage. A short program will follow featuring public officials and community speakers.
Roughly 60 community providers and the MetroHealth Mobile RV will be on-site to provide resources and information. Food trucks, music, “Yoga in the Park,” and messages of hope and testimonies from the stage will be held throughout the day. The event concludes at dusk with a candlelight “Walk of Remembrance” and a “Light Up Cleveland” event illuminating Public Square, Terminal Tower and Progressive Field in purple lights.
“On International Overdose Awareness Day, we remember those we’ve lost to overdose, and we act to prevent future tragedies. The Waves of Awareness event is an opportunity to remember and let people know that treatment works and people recover,” said Scott S. Osiecki, CEO of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADAMHS) Services Board of Cuyahoga County.
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