In line with International Overdose Awareness Day on Thursday, August 31st, a vigil will be held at Courthouse Park in the City of Cortland beginning at 7pm, to remember those lost to overdoses.
The vigil is a collaborative effort from the Healing Hearts Collaborative, Healing Cortland, Prevention Network of CNY, Southern Tier AIDS Program, and the Central Region Addiction Resource Center.
The event will be an hour long and include various speakers, including some who have lost a loved one to an opioid overdose in Cortland County. There will also be a ceremony with purple flags, honoring those who have died. Healing Hearts Collaborative says there will be 296 purple hearts that will represent the number of people lost to drug overdoses each day in the nation, with 108,000 a year.
Dean O’Gorman, the event organizer said in a release: “Why a Vigil? Well, It is a way that so many who have lost a loved one can come together, in a Safe and unjudged environment to mourn, honor, and remember a person they love and care about, lost to a disease. I myself organize the event to remember, honor, and bring awareness it could be anyone while thinking about and missing my son Spencer O’Gorman”
To learn more about Healing Cortland click HERE.
