Airdrie’s second annual overdose awareness event is kicking off at 3 p.m. on Aug. 31 at Nose Creek Regional Park, with the continued goal of de-stigmatizing addiction and promoting mental health resources.
The event coincides with Airdrie city council's recent proclamation of Aug. 31 as Overdose Awareness Day. The proclamation will see Airdrie City Hall lit up in purple that night as a show of commemoration.
After losing family members to overdoses, Airdrie trio Cheryl Bulloch, Kim Risler, and Julie Hazelwanter hosted the inaugural event last year to help increase community awareness regarding addiction, overdoses, and the opioid epidemic. The event included speeches and vendors on hand, who promoted local resources and support for friends, family, and current users.
“[The goal is] to reduce the stigma surrounding this issue and promote inclusivity by fostering a sense of community,” Bulloch said. “Community members are welcomed to a safe, respectful venue where every person is valued.”
The free event is open to people of all ages. Like last year, booths featuring local organizations will be scattered throughout the park, each discussing addiction, overdose, and mental health issues.
Naloxone training and kits will also be available, as well as harm reduction supplies. Naloxone temporarily reverses an opioid overdose, although professional medical aid is still needed. Naloxone kits are available for free in many pharmacies across Alberta and those interested in locating one can do so at bit.ly/3AFqXBG.
Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy will provide a presentation on what an overdose looks like and how to properly use a naloxone kit, according to Bulloch.
“We really want to encourage people to carry a naloxone kit because you just never know when somebody could be overdosing and you could save their life,” Bulloch said.
Airdrie city councillors Heather Spearman and Al Jones will address attendees at 6 p.m., with live music by solo hip-hop artist 7heory, who will lighten the atmosphere and provide entertainment throughout the day.
Non-perishable food donations will be accepted for the Airdrie Food Bank, as well as monetary donations that Bulloch said will be used to purchase a memorial bench for Nose Creek Regional Park.
Additionally, a silent auction with donations from local Airdrie businesses will help fund the event and support plaques in honour of community members who have lost loved ones to overdoses, in remembrance of those lost to overdose, and in recognition of those struggling with substance abuse, according to Bulloch.
The plaques will decorate the recently-painted Purple Bridge of Hope in Nose Creek Park.
Bulloch, Risler, and Hazelwanter re-painted the bridge purple on Aug. 21 to offer a safe space for those healing from the effects of overdoses and addiction struggles.
“We encourage attendees to help create a memorial honouring those loved ones lost to overdose by bringing photos to attach to a poster and/or bringing purple ribbons and [hanging] laminated photos from trees in the park,” Bulloch said.
A candlelight vigil to honour those lost to overdoses will wrap up the event at 8 p.m.
Bulloch, who lost her son in November 2020 to a fentanyl overdose, found that oftentimes, mental health and drug use are viewed as two separate issues. Meanwhile, the three event organizers believe drug use and mental health are linked, and more resources need to be available to those who are struggling.
“We all find there is not a lot of resources for people who are struggling with mental health issues. There is not enough counselling for them, so what do they do? They turn to drink and drug use to feel better,” Bulloch explained.
The idea of hosting an overdose awareness event stemmed from a need to connect mental health and drug use and to provide support for those within the Airdrie community, according to Bulloch.
“We want people to be able to talk about it and end the stigma that’s associated with drug use,” she said. “We just want to be able to open up the lines of communication with everybody, especially our kids.”
