CLEVELAND — Tuesday evening, in the middle of Cleveland’s Edgewater Park, surrounded by people walking their dogs, exercising and out getting some fresh air, were dozens of people bringing awareness to a problem that isn’t always out in the open: substance abuse.
They were there for Project Noelle’s National Overdose Awareness Day event.
“With the amount of people that we are losing, it’s hard to believe there’s anybody out there anymore that hasn’t been affected,” said Keli Clark. “We’re losing some really good, beautiful people.”
Clark is the founder of Project Noelle. An organization that helps children who have lost parents to substance abuse.
“There was nothing for the kids left behind, and they were getting left behind,” she said.
Tuesday’s event had not only kids, but people of all ages who have lost loved ones to substance abuse. There were various groups with resourceful information, including the Cuyahoga ADAMHS Board, Project White Butterfly and more, and also just people there, mourning their family and friends who lost their battle.
Clark said it’s important to come together and let people know they’re not in this fight alone.
She knows the pain of losing a child more than anyone. In 2017, her daughter Noelle overdosed. Clark took in her two young boys and is raising them, they are now nine years old.
“I tried to deal with my own grief, which was unimaginable, but I’m also trying to answer 5,000 questions from these guys, like ‘when is mommy coming back?’” she said.
She also lost a son last year to addiction.
“I was in Orlando, speaking for Overdose Awareness Day last year, and the following day, Sept. 1, I got a call that they found my son passed away in a public bathroom, so I’ve lost two children.”
She’s now dedicated to bringing awareness, breaking the stigma and supporting families left behind.
“These guys [her grandchildren], I tell them all the time, you know, it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she said.
Tuesday’s event is not only a time to remember those no longer here, but to represent those who have recovered.
“I’ve been to a lot of funerals over the years, and it’s sad, but they give me the strength to keep going day by day,” said Santina Lauter, who has been in recovery the past seven years.
She is a member of the group Blockbuster Sobriety, which supports people in their recovery and connects them to others who are recovering.
“That’s why I just want to be here, with Project Noelle, and any other place to scream to the world that there is a solution, there is hope. If I can do it anyone can,” said Lauter.
Kelly Campbell is also a member of Blockbuster Sobriety.
“Two years ago I wouldn’t imagine where I am today,” she said. “Anyone out there, know we can do this together, and they’re not alone.”
She said it’s important to bring awareness to a problem that so many people are suffering from.
“You can’t ignore this. There’s people dying every day, just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. It’s happening on your street and your neighborhoods,” she said.
There were several substance abuse resources and support groups in the greater Cleveland area represented at Tuesday’s event:
