“It’s a time for healing in Somerville”
Somerville, MA — Somerville Overcoming Addiction is organizing a candlelight memorial vigil for this September’s recovery month. The vigil
will take place Monday, September 8th at 6:30 p.m. at Somerville High School’s atrium entrance. The event will include a reading of the names of those lost to addiction, a group that sadly will continue to grow right up until the day of the vigil. Several parents who have lost children to addiction will share their thoughts with the community, and those who are in recovery will share inspiring stories of hope. This event promises to be a very special event especially for those who have lost children recently.
JoAnn Rivieccio, whose son Frank died of an overdose just days after telling her he didn’t want to die, says, “Other cities have been holding vigils yearly for some time now. There are people in those communities that understand the importance of such events. We have people in Somerville who share those same sentiments, and we intend to make this vigil a yearly occurrence.”
“Somerville has become another tale of two cities story with Davis Square’s nightlife buzzing with young hipsters drinking a microbrew while young people are shooting up and overdosing the bathrooms of local establishments.” says Somerville Overcoming Addiction member Donald Cronin “We can’t ignore this fact”
Somerville Overcoming Addiction came together as a community this past Spring. Its membership includes parents who have lost children, people in long-term recovery, parents of kids who are struggling with addiction, professionals in the field, and many others whose lives have been affected by addiction in some way. SOA held a free screening of the documentary “The Anonymous People” this past June and more than 200 people attended. Prior to the film, an Overdose Prevention and Narcan Training was held, and more than 40 Narcan kits were taken home. One of those kits was used by a mother to bring her 17-year-old daughter back from an overdose. Somerville Overcoming Addiction is currently pursuing a number of ways to make an impact within the community. To keep up with what we’re doing, visit us on the web at http://www.somervilleovercomingaddiction.com.