Overdose Remembrance and Awareness Event

SUPERIOR, Wis. – August 31st is international Overdose Awareness Day. It’s a day to remember and grieve those who have been lost to addiction and overdose.

On Wednesday, the people of Superior came together at Billings Park to address addiction in the community.

“As of August, we have lost 13 people, just here in Superior to overdose. We need to come together and fight and ask for funding to get these treatment centers around here to help the people that are suffering from addiction,” Overdose Remembrance and Awareness Event Organizer, Lacey Reed says.

The public event showcased resources available in the community that can help those dealing with drug addictions and sources for grief counseling. They include Pathway to Hope, Harbor House Crisis Shelters, and Celebrate Recovery.

“My sister recently past away on March 21st of this year and it’s been very devastating. As a family we have learned of many resources that help grieving parents, loved ones,” said Reed.

The event had food, music, yard games, and community speakers such as Mayor Paine.

“This is a very serious problem and it’s not like many of the other challenges that we face. This is a manufactured problem, this was created by people, by the major pharmaceutical companies and so we have to address it in different way and try and seek not just hope and healing but real justice for people,” Superior Mayor, Jim Paine says.

The Superior community has a petition going that they intend to send to legislators to get more funding and more treatment centers.

“To tell you the truth, it’s hard to come to events like this because a lot of the folks that are here are here because they’ve lost somebody. And, there’s often no real way to provide for someone who’s gone through such a terrible tragedy. The only thing that we can really do is say that we are here, we remember them and we are going to fight for everybody else to make sure that this doesn’t happen to more people,”  said Paine.