Around Town

Letter on Awareness Vigil: ‘The Power of Community Coming Together’

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To the Editor and New Canaan Friends,

I became involved with New Canaan CARES when we first moved to town because like everyone else raising children, I wanted the tools and knowledge to be the best parent I possibly could be. I have worked a lot on prevention campaigns and learned about the challenges that we all face in an affluent community where addiction is a very real concern for our families. I attended the inaugural Community Addiction Awareness Vigil two years ago and was profoundly impacted by everyone’s honesty and heartfelt testimonials. This experience includes not only families impacted by addiction, but those on the front lines of helping our community including religious, school, government and non-profit leaders. The power of our community coming together to battle one of our most significant challenges is New Canaan at its best. It’s a can’t miss event for our family, and I urge you all to join us there. The 3rd Annual Community Addiction Awareness Vigil will take place on Thursday, September 5th from 7-8:15 PM in downtown New Canaan (corner of South & Elm).  Similar to last year, this event will include live music (starting at 6PM), 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: http://bit.ly/AddictionAwarenessVigil or http://ncparentsupportgroup.org/.

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Letter: At Vigil for Overdose Awareness Day, Learn from Real-Life Stories from Neighbors

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Dear Editor,

It is certainly no secret that opioids and other addictive substances are the epidemics of our country today. Individual lives, entire families, and whole communities are being permanently destroyed by this awful disease. But unless your door has been marked and your family scarred, it is very easy to nod in sympathy and say a small silent prayer of thanksgiving that this didn’t happen to our kid/father/mother/brother/sister/neighbor. But when we utter that prayer, we are forgetting the fact that every person in our community is indeed our kid/father/mother/brother/sister/neighbor. And then we know that indeed we are all affected by the epidemic of addiction.