GREENFIELD — Black balloons flew throughout town on Sunday in an effort to erase the stigma associated with addiction and to send the message that the opioid epidemic has touched everyone.
Grandmothers, sons and daughter, mothers and fathers came together during a candlelight vigil in the center of town on Sunday night to share an unfortunate bond in exchanging stories of loved ones they have lost to addiction. The local anti-drug abuse group, End The Stigma, Enough is Enough organized the event to commemorate those who lost the fight and to support those still struggling with opioid and heroin abuse.
Activists passed out educational material on how to respond to an overdose. Black balloons hung from trees in front of Town Hall and hung from passing cars.
The Greenfield Fire Department distributed the black balloons to residents throughout the day as part of an effort to remind people that they are not alone in their struggles against drug abuse. The balloons were flown outside of homes of those touched by the addiction and the overdose epidemic.
“These are individual people, not numbers and we are losing a generation to this disease,” Sarah Ahern, founder of End The Stigma, Enough is Enough said to the group of residents gathered in the Greenfield Town Commons for the vigil. She said her hope is that March 6 become a national day of remembrance.
Friends and family at the vigil wiped away tears as they recited the names of those lost to addiction and the children they left behind. Family members held posters with photos of young people taken too soon.
Then there was a brief moment of silence.
The addiction epidemic has hit hard in Greenfield and no one is immune. Greenfield Police Chief Robert Haigh said sometimes the town loses one person a month to addiction, but sometimes it’s two or three people a month.
Residents spoke of striving to move past stigma and to put a face on the struggles of drug abuse. “People think, ‘Oh, it will never happen to me.’ The truth is it happens to everyone,” said Andrea Goldman, who spoke to the crowd on Sunday night. She has a son who is struggling with addiction.
“We are not alone and we are here for each other.”
The director of the RECOVER Project, Michael Lewis, called for the community to stand up against stigma. “I have no words for the pain that this community has suffered,” he said, explaining that the battle against addiction cannot be fought alone. “It takes a village.”
You can reach Lisa Spear at: lspear@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280