7th Annual Community Addiction Awareness Vigil
Credit: Michael Dinan
NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letters to the editor. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com to have them published here.
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To the Editor:
One of the most important events in New Canaan is scheduled for Wednesday, August 29th at 7pm. The 8th Annual Community Addiction Awareness Vigil will take place outdoors at 6 South Avenue and will include 3 speakers in long-term recovery.
“Awareness” is a very important word. Addiction is a disease. However, if a person decides to get sober, there is hope.
I know that hope. I celebrated 49 years of continuous recovery earlier this year. Despite that, I have also experienced the downside to losing family members to the addiction disease. That’s why I will be celebrating recovery on August 29th, both mine and those of many others. I will also be remembering those who died too soon, including my own granddaughter.
Please join me, 7pm, on August 29th, at the corner of South Avenue & Elm Street. Let’s join forces to make our town the most caring, understanding community in Connecticut.
Lance C. Minor, Jr.
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Dear Editor,
I am writing with an open invitation asking our New Canaan Community to come together for a common cause. This cause may not be the topic of conversation at the club this weekend and it won’t spark the next trendy fashion statement on Elm Street. But this affects each and every one of us.
As a local resident, businessman and volunteer, I have personally read too many stories of young people leaving us way too soon. I have seen too many adults unable to function to their fullest potential. And I have seen too many seniors not be able to fully enjoy what should be their golden years. What do they have in common? These are our friends and neighbors. These are family members near and far. These folks all suffer from some form of substance misuse.
We have sadly witnessed, first-hand, the profound sadness and loss our New Canaan neighbors and friends have experienced due to substance misuse. In a community as privileged and accomplished as ours, it may surprise many of you to learn about the depth of struggle affecting many of our residents. When we come together on August 29th, we demonstrate our concern and support for all that these folks are going through. We also reaffirm our commitment to end the curse of substance misuse, addiction, and the collateral damage associated with this epidemic.
Consider this letter a call to action for our community. Please plan to gather with your friends and neighbors at the 8th Annual Community Addiction Awareness Vigil on Thursday, August 29th from 7-8:15PM in downtown New Canaan. The event will include live music (starting at 6:30), the Hope & Remembrance Wall, resources, hopeful testimonials, and a candlelight vigil led by members of the local clergy. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page or go to http://ncparentsupportgroup.org/. You will be doing your part to show that our New Canaan Community is there for one other.
Thank you in advance,
Leo Karl III