GREENFIELD — More than 40 men, women and children gathered into a circle, each holding a small white candle and many clutching picture frames to their chests. As the flames flickered, the gentle sound of two guitars drifted through the air, and the group joined together to sing “Amazing Grace.”
The second annual candlelight vigil in memory of those lost to drug and alcohol addiction was held Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. in Energy Park, offering community members a chance to share their personal stories.
The vigil followed a walk in solidarity from the Recover Project on Federal Street, an addiction treatment program whose staff organized the event.
“(This vigil) gives people who are suffering from the loss of loved ones a chance to come together, grieve together and get some of that pain off their chest,” said Michael Lewis, program director at the Recover Project. “This is honoring those that we’ve lost.”
Furthermore, organizers aimed to raise awareness that addiction has become a widespread problem.
“It’s not just in a movie anymore,” said Sarah Davis, 20, of Greenfield, who shared her story about losing her best friend Laura Johnson to drug addiction. “It’s not the rock stars … It’s your kid’s best friend.”
According to Heather Taylor, facilitator of the Recover Project’s social involvement committee, 240 people walk through the Recover Project’s doors each week seeking support in overcoming addiction. Lewis said the Recover Project “creates a safe space and sanctuary that allows people to grow, take ownership of their lives and connect with other people on the same journey.”
Volunteers at the Recover Project held the first vigil last year, following three fatal overdoses in one week, Taylor said.
As local residents gathered in the park, they were invited to sign their names to a teal banner laid out on a table, take a polished stone to hold and remember their loved ones, listen to songs related to addiction and recovery played by Special K, and step up to a microphone to share their stories. Many came away teary-eyed and were met with supportive embraces.
Many of the speakers emphasized the need for support and resources to help addicts overcome their addiction.
“This is a disease that tells you you don’t have a disease,” said Kathleen Schroeder, whose 31-year-old daughter Krystyna Kukla-Soulia died from a heroine overdose last year, leaving behind a 9-year-old daughter of her own. “There’s not enough help for this type of disease.”
“We need to have the effort put in to help these people,” Davis said. “We need to wake up, get up and do something … It’s good to have people reach out in a day in an age when it’s cool not to care. Humans need love.”