Week of 10/6/25

Our Young Adult (ages 18-35) Grievers Need Support Too!

Grief as a young adult can be especially hard. It can feel like everyone else is moving forward while your world has changed in ways they can’t see. Friends might not understand and milestones can feel out of reach. It’s easy to feel like you’re the only one carrying this kind of grief. But you’re not. Whether you’re balancing school, work, family or just trying to get through the day, your grief deserves space and community.

Join us at the end of the month for a casual dinner of Raising Cane’s in Medford, MA, followed by our Young Adult Peer Grief Support Group. Come meet some new people, share a meal, connect and find support in a community that gets it. All are welcome. And don’t forget, we have a virtual option too! The Virtual Young Adult group meets this Thursday at 6:30 pm ET via zoom! See the calendar below for the zoom link.

Read more: Tips for Young Adults Who Are Grieving

~ Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

NEW MEETING ALERT! New daytime hybrid meeting in Weymouth MA starting this week!

Kingston MA not meeting at Plymouth County Outreach Office this month.

HERE’S SOME OF WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK AT TSWR!

Tabling at the Shatterproof Walk in Boston!

As a thank you to our outstanding and hardworking event committee, we came together at Third Space Kitchen to make a delicious meal together and then enjoy the creation! Watch our tiktok video about it!

Want to join our volunteer event committee team? Sign up here!

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

CALL THEIR NAME HIKE/WALK Saturday 10/11/25 10:00 am Middlesex Fells Reservation Stoneham MA Please join us for our annual autumn walk! We will stop along the way to “Call Their Name” as a way to carry our person with us on this hike/walk. Everyone is welcome…friends, family, kids as well as dogs on leashes. REGISTER HERE so we know how people to expect!

Details about this excursion follow:
1. Directions for parking: Rte 28 Upper or Lower Sheepfold Parking Lot Stoneham MA. Meet at the directory signpost that says “Welcome to Sheepfold” located at the Upper Sheepfold parking lot.
2. Clothing: Wear comfortable walking shoes. Dress for the weather.
3. We will provide water bottles and snack bars.
4. We will walk at a leisurely pace to be considerate of all the people in our group so we can stay together.

We hope you can join us. Contact Judy judyannkelly@gmail.com 781-264-0557 if you have any questions or concerns. Rain date will be on Sunday October 12, 2025.

New Event! Join us for a Casual Community Meal before our Young Adult (ages 18-35) Peer Grief Support Group in Medford MA Sunday 10/26/25 5:00-6:00pm! REGISTER HERE! We’ll be gathering outside the meeting space and enjoying some Raising Cane’s! It will be great share a meal, connect and spend time together before the meeting. While this dinner is hosted by our Young Adult Group, everyone is welcome whether you’re part of that group or just want to join for some good food and community. Do you know a young adult who could use some grief support? Bring them to this low pressure event! No need to bring anything but yourself and your appetite. Just let us know you are attending, so we can plan ahead! Come for the chicken, stay for the company & support! Questions? Email Leslie@thesunwillrise.org

SADOD’s OCTOBER PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP- COMFORTING OTHERS WITH VAL WALKER: WHAT TO SAY & DO. Tuesday October 28, 2025 6:30 pm ET. When comforting others in grief, knowing what to say or do can be tough. This workshop will discuss compassionate ways to support those facing loss. Practical tips and real-life examples await! This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/comforting-others-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

New event! HEALING THROUGH LAUGHTER, PLAY & GAMES Saturday 11/1/25 10am-5pm. Weymouth MA. Register Required. Our storytelling virtual workshop was such a hit that we brought award winning Meghann Perry back for a full day in-person event! Our bodies, hearts and voices hold and carry so much for ourselves and for others. Spend the day with others in our grieving community. There will be time to play, relax, connect with self and others. We’ll be using theater improv and storytelling exercises but don’t worry - you won’t be on the spot! The Embodied Storytelling method is a gentle, easy, no-pressure series of group exercises. Tap into your inner healer through an essential part of human nature - play - to relax, connect with self and others through joy, and release tension and weight. REGISTER HERE Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported. Questions? Email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

ANNOUNCING OUR BRAND NEW VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB!

Please join us on Sunday 11/9/25. First book to read is Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall.

FOCUS GROUP FOR WORCESTER MA AREA

To learn about your work and your perspectives about Overdose Prevention Centers (OPCs), Dr. Jeffrey Steen of Simmon’s University is inviting service providers (such as case managers, social workers, medical professionals, outreach workers, etc) and peers (recovery coaches, peer specialists, etc) in Worcester MA area to take part in a focus group. If you would like to share your experience & perspective please complete this availability form. To learn more about the study, feel free to reach out to Cal Brantley at cal.brantley@simmons.edu.

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 9/29/25

When Cooking Feels Impossible

Grief can make even the simplest meal feel overwhelming. The physical and emotional fatigue of grief can drain the energy it takes to plan, shop, or even just stand at the stove. Our appetites often shift too. Sometimes nothing sounds good, other times only comfort food will do. I remember how hard it was to eat in early grief and how easy it was to fall back on ice cream or other quick fixes for more than one meal. There’s also the possible difficulty of one less person at the table to cook for or with. A daily reminder of their absence. Getting back to your regular cooking and meals can take some time. If someone offers help, say yes and be specific: a grocery run, a pot of soup, a dish for the freezer. These small acts of care can help you stay nourished while you focus on grieving.

Read more- Nourishing Your Body Through Grief: Simple Eating Strategies

~ Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

COMMUNITY HERO AWARD

We couldn’t be prouder!! The Sun Will Rise Foundation Director, Leslie Lagos was honored with a Community Hero Award from the Braintree Community Partnership/Town of Braintree MA for her incredible dedication to people bereaved due substance use related causes. But awards like this can only hint at the real measure of her impact. Leslie doesn’t just lead programs, she changes lives. Because of her work, countless people have found the courage to keep moving forward and believe in what comes next. Thank you Leslie for your amazing heart and hard work!

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

HERE’S SOME OF WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK AT TSWR!

Tabling at the 4th Annual Winthrop MA Recovery Event & Vigil!

Clarity Through Collage! Thanks to the Compass Rose Center for offering a beautiful space to create meaningful collages together. Each collage told a unique grief story. Here is a sampling of some of the collages. Join us at one of our next events!

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

NEW EVENT! CALL THEIR NAME HIKE/WALK Saturday 10/11/25 10:00 am Middlesex Fells Reservation Stoneham MA Please join us for our annual autumn walk! We will stop along the way to “Call Their Name” as a way to carry our person with us on this hike/walk. Everyone is welcome…friends, family, kids as well as dogs on leashes. REGISTER HERE so we know how people to expect!

Details about this excursion follow:
1. Directions for parking: Rte 28 Upper or Lower Sheepfold Parking Lot Stoneham MA. Meet at the directory signpost that says “Welcome to Sheepfold” located at the Upper Sheepfold parking lot.
2. Clothing: Wear comfortable walking shoes. Dress for the weather.
3. We will provide water bottles and snack bars.
4. We will walk at a leisurely pace to be considerate of all the people in our group so we can stay together.

We hope you can join us. Contact Judy judyannkelly@gmail.com 781-264-0557 if you have any questions or concerns. Rain date will be on Sunday October 12, 2025.

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 9/22/25

Artful Healing

Over the past few months we’ve hosted several different types of hands on grief workshops, both virtually and in-person. Each one has shown us how powerful simple creativity can be. Sitting together with markers, scissors, paper, paints and images gives our hearts another way to speak when words fall short.

Our next workshop, Grief Collage Workshop: Clarity Through Collage lets us create something tangible from what feels invisible. Each piece can hold a memory, a hope or even a question we can’t yet name. No art experience is needed, just a desire to spend an afternoon in quiet companionship, making meaning from fragments. Leave with a personal collage that reflects where you are in your grief and a small sense of calm that comes from making something with your own hands.

Whether you joined us for our earlier art based sessions or are coming for the first time, you’re welcome at the table for this workshop on 9/28/25. (registration required) Not local? Search the word “grief” on eventbrite or another event platform for grief events near you.

Read more about why crafting can be helpful in grief: Healing Through Craft: How Making Things Can Help Us Process Grief

with care

~ Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Judy Kelly & Kathy Ernest co-facilitating in place of Darlene Mersereau for the Weymouth MA 9/22/5 meeting.

Carol Bowers facilitating in place of Kar-Kate Parenteau for the Partner/Spouse 9/23/24 meeting with temporary zoom link. See calendar page.

Franklin Cook facilitating in place of Leslie Lagos for the People in Recovery 9/24/25 meeting with temporary zoom link. See calendar page.

East Boston meeting on pause this month.

HERE’S SOME OF WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK AT TSWR!

Tabling at the 2025 Walk for Hope & Recovery Festival in Weymouth MA

TABLING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Can you help spread the word about our peer grief support? Complete this volunteer form an indicate where you can help out!

• 9/25/25 4:00 PM TO 7:00 PM Fitchburg Health Dept Resource Fair Fitchburg MA

• 9/25/25 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Candlelight Vigil Ipswich MA

• 9/27/25 10:00 AM TO 4:00 PM Bridgewater Autumnfest, Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

SADOD’s September PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP: Memorializing Our Loved Ones Tuesday, September 23, 2025, 6:30 - 8:00 pm ET One of the best ways to move through our grief is to recognize and honor our loved ones. While we often hear phrases like “gone, but never forgotten,” it can sometimes feel daunting to memorialize our loved ones in a way that feels true to us and true to them. Join SADOD for their September workshop where we will discuss creative, yet practical ways to memorialize loved ones- from blogging to art, nothing is off the table. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/memorializing-workshop.  Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

LAST CALL! Grief Collage Workshop: Clarity Through Collage Sunday 9/28/25 1-4 pm. Barnstable MA. Clarity through Collage invites individuals to gather together and share thoughts, ideas, and wisdom while receiving personal guidance through collage. Each gathering is unique and features different tools of divination and options to collage a variety of objects. At the end of the gathering, we will circle together to share the projects, explore different Oracle and Tarot decks, and reflect on the experience. Guided facilitation by Melanie McMullin Questions? Please contact Kerry Bickford: 1-508-932-1981 kerry@peersupportcommunitypartners.org REGISTER HERE Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 9/15/25

Looking for a Therapist Who Truly Gets Grief

Peer grief support is powerful but sometimes it isn’t enough on its own. Many people find that a therapist can help in ways that a group can’t. People ask us all the time if we know therapists who really understands grief especially the kind that comes after a substance use related death. It’s a fair question. Good therapy can help, but not every therapist is equally skilled in grief support.

I’d love to pull together a list of names from our own community. If you’ve worked with someone you’d highly recommend, complete this form if you’d like to share their name, location, whether they do virtual visits and if you have it, a link or number. We’ll keep it private and use it only to help others in our groups who reach out looking for recommendations.

If you’re starting the search yourself, here are a few places to look:

Psychology Today – Find a Therapist (filter for “grief” or “trauma”)

The Dougy Center (national directory of grief resources) Find a local grief program near your location that may have recommendations

Your local Hospice centers.

Finding the right fit with support takes time. A recommendation from someone who’s walked this road can make it a little easier.

with care

~ Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Hanson MA in-person not meeting at Calvary Baptist Church this month.

HERE’S SOME OF WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK AT TSWR!

A sampling of the photos produced at Saturday’s workshop: The Opioid Project, Changing Perceptions Through Art & Storytelling. Stay tuned for the the audio & photos combined.

Fall tabling continues with Recoveryfest in Braintree MA

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

SADOD’s September PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP: Memorializing Our Loved Ones Tuesday, September 23, 2025, 6:30 - 8:00 pm ET One of the best ways to move through our grief is to recognize and honor our loved ones. While we often hear phrases like “gone, but never forgotten,” it can sometimes feel daunting to memorialize our loved ones in a way that feels true to us and true to them. Join SADOD for their September workshop where we will discuss creative, yet practical ways to memorialize loved ones- from blogging to art, nothing is off the table. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/memorializing-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org

Grief Collage Workshop: Clarity Through Collage Sunday 9/28/25 1-4 pm. Barnstable MA. Clarity through Collage invites individuals to gather together and share thoughts, ideas, and wisdom while receiving personal guidance through collage. Each gathering is unique and features different tools of divination and options to collage a variety of objects. At the end of the gathering, we will circle together to share the projects, explore different Oracle and Tarot decks, and reflect on the experience. Guided facilitation by Melanie McMullin Questions? Please contact Kerry Bickford: 1-508-932-1981 kerry@peersupportcommunitypartners.org REGISTER HERE Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

HEALING THROUGH AWE & WONDER PROJECT

In our newest YouTube video, group member Liz White shares her awe & wonder story, about orbs after her daughter’s death. Learn more about this storytelling project. Would you like to share you awe or wonder story? We would love to hear about it. Sign up here.

POST INTERNATIONAL OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY SURVEY

The Pennington Institute is looking for feedback on all things related to IOAD 2025. Please complete this survey by 9/17/25.

Help Set Up International Overdose Awareness Day Flags

Volunteers Needed to assist with the last of the Purple Flag installations to remember lives the people who died due to overdose in Massachusetts last year. Everyone is welcome. With enough help, setup takes about an hour. Last Installation: Sunday, September 21st at 9:00 am Brigham and Women’s Hospital 15 Francis St Boston MA Questions? Email SOARnatick@gmail.com

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 9/8/25

Supporting the Supporters

This past weekend we brought some of our grief group facilitators together for a retreat at Adelynrood in Byfield, MA. It was a chance to focus on the people who show up month after month to hold space for others. Our facilitators sit with grief every time they lead a group. They listen, they hold silence, they carry stories of heartbreak and love. It’s powerful work but it’s also heavy. That’s why we take time to support them. To give them a place to to focus on their grief and their needs.

At the retreat, we shared time in many ways…quiet reflection, meditation, yoga, memorial activities, creative exercises, dining and playing games together and of course ice cream!

When you participate in one of our groups, know this, the person welcoming you is supported, encouraged and cared for by us and by each other. Because the heart of The Sun Will Rise is peer support and that support is only possible when we take care of the ones holding the circle.

Listen here to a gentle 10 minute meditation for grief & loss that you can do at home.

with care

~ Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Always check the main calendar for the most up to date meetings list.

Kingston MA in-person not meeting at PCOO office this month.

NEW MEETING ALERT

The Auburn group has moved to Worcester! Kathryn Peirce & Katie Bradley are still facilitating. Please join them for this more easily accessible daytime meeting! If you know a griever in the Worcester area, please share this with them!

HERE’S SOME OF WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK AT TSWR!

ESSEX COUNTY REMEMBERS

WE NEED HELP MONDAY 9/8/25 TO REMOVE THE FLAGS!

Volunteers Needed in Braintree Monday, September 8, 2025 at 5:00 PM Braintree Town Hall 1 JFK Memorial Drive, Braintree, MA to remove the IOAD flags on the town hall fence. Bring wire cutters or something that will cut through a zip tie, if you have one. We will have some available for use.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

THE OPIOID PROJECT Changing Perceptions Through Art & Storytelling. Saturday 9/13/25 12-4 pm. Braintree MA SOLD OUT! The Opioid Project consists of a 4 hour art making and audio storytelling workshop where participants create collages and share personal stories. The art and recorded stories contextualize and bring to life the human costs of the epidemic. The finished work is hung in community multimedia exhibitions where each artwork is paired with its audio story. NO ART EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! View some samples here. WAITLIST AVAILABLE HERE

SADOD’s September PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP: Memorializing Our Loved Ones Tuesday, September 23, 2025, 6:30 - 8:00 pm ET One of the best ways to move through our grief is to recognize and honor our loved ones. While we often hear phrases like “gone, but never forgotten,” it can sometimes feel daunting to memorialize our loved ones in a way that feels true to us and true to them. Join SADOD for their September workshop where we will discuss creative, yet practical ways to memorialize loved ones- from blogging to art, nothing is off the table. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/memorializing-workshop.  Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

Grief Collage Workshop: Clarity Through Collage Sunday 9/28/25 1-4 pm. Barnstable MA. Clarity through Collage invites individuals to gather together and share thoughts, ideas, and wisdom while receiving personal guidance through collage. Each gathering is unique and features different tools of divination and options to collage a variety of objects. At the end of the gathering, we will circle together to share the projects, explore different Oracle and Tarot decks, and reflect on the experience. Guided facilitation by Melanie McMullin Questions? Please contact Kerry Bickford: 1-508-932-1981 kerry@peersupportcommunitypartners.org REGISTER HERE Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Help Set Up International Overdose Awareness Day Flags

Volunteers Needed to assist with Purple Flag installations to remember lives the people who died due to overdose in Massachusetts last year. Everyone is welcome. With enough help, setup takes about an hour. Last Installation: Sunday, September 21st at 9:00 am Brigham and Women’s Hospital 15 Francis St Boston MA Questions? Email SOARnatick@gmail.com

COLLEGE PARENTS’ PERSPECTIVES SURVEY

If you have a child attending college who has experienced the death of a loved one, please consider participating in Evermore's Parents' Perspectives Survey. Through this survey, Evermore is seeking to gather parents' perceptions on the experiences of bereaved college students. Ultimately, the goal is to better understand how students' college experiences are impacted by grief and bereavement. All responses are completely anonymous. The survey will take between 5-7 minutes. 

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 9/1/25

This year on International Overdose Awareness Day, our team and so many of you showed up at memorials and events across the state and country. We gathered to remember, to listen, to support and to speak the names of those we love who have died.

Each place we went carried its own feeling from candles glowing, flags waving, voices breaking, stories being told. What stood out most was the courage of our members who stepped forward to share and the quiet strength of those who simply came to be with others and remember their person. Both mattered. Both made the day what it was.

Being together reminded us that grief is hard, but it doesn’t have to be carried alone. There is comfort in community and there is hope in knowing that our people will always be remembered…..

with care

~ Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Please note, a number of groups are not meeting due to IOAD activities, this month. Always check the main calendar for up to date meetings list.

This week’s Regular Zoom moved from 9/1/25 to 9/8/25.

Falmouth MA in-person not meeting this month.

HERE’S SOME OF WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK AT TSWR!

Read about the Easthampton MA vigil here.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

THE OPIOID PROJECT Changing Perceptions Through Art & Storytelling. Saturday 9/13/25 12-4 pm. Braintree MA SOLD OUT! The Opioid Project consists of a 4 hour art making and audio storytelling workshop where participants create collages and share personal stories. The art and recorded stories contextualize and bring to life the human costs of the epidemic. The finished work is hung in community multimedia exhibitions where each artwork is paired with its audio story. NO ART EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! View some samples here.

WAITLIST AVAILABLE HERE

NEW EVENT! Grief Collage Workshop: Clarity Through Collage Sunday 9/28/25 1-4 pm. Barnstable MA. Clarity through Collage invites individuals to gather together and share thoughts, ideas, and wisdom while receiving personal guidance through collage. Each gathering is unique and features different tools of divination and options to collage a variety of objects. At the end of the gathering, we will circle together to share the projects, explore different Oracle and Tarot decks, and reflect on the experience. Guided facilitation by Melanie McMullin Questions? Please contact Kerry Bickford: 1-508-932-1981 kerry@peersupportcommunitypartners.org

REGISTER HERE

Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

UPCOMING MEMORIALS & VIGILS AROUND MA

The Worcester Red Sox are donating $5.00 to The Sun Will Rise for each special ticket sold for the 9/3/25 game!!!! You must use this LINK to the purchase tickets so that we receive the donation. The day includes a pregame vigil that will begin at 4pm on the DCU Plaza (Gate D). The WooSox are partnering with Support After Death by Overdose (SADOD) and the Sun Will Rise Foundation to bring awareness and to support those affected by substance use.

-$19 third base reserved seating

-$5 of loaded value to any concession or merchandise

-$5 donation to The Sun Will Rise Foundation

OR

-$9 grass berm seating (first come first serve adirondaks)

-$5 donation to The Sun Will Rise Foundation

For remembrance events happening into September, SADOD has a IOAD event locator on their page for events in MA.

For other states and international events search here.

Help Set Up International Overdose Awareness Day Flags

Volunteers Needed in Natick MA to assist with Purple Flag installations to remember lives the people who died due to overdose in Massachusetts last year. Everyone is welcome. With enough help, setup takes about an hour. Second Installation: Sunday, September 7th at 9:00 am Newton-Wellesley Hospital 2014 Washington St Newton Questions? Email SOARnatick@gmail.com

PSCP’S ON DEMAND WORKSHOP LIBRARY

Have you been wanting to attend one of Peer Support Community Partner’s /SADOD’s psychoeducational workshops, but have not been able to make it? They are now offering a subscription-based on-demand psychoeducational workshop library. This means you can watch their workshops at your leisure and continue re-watching them as often as you would like. Their library includes more than 15 workshops and continues to grow each month. Sign up now at www.peersupportcommunitypartners.com/on-demand-subscription Questions? Contact Laura Vargas laura@sadod.org

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 8/25/25

Grief and Sensory Memory

Grief doesn’t just live in our hearts. It lives in our senses. A song on the radio, the smell of the ocean, the taste of a favorite meal or even the way the light falls in a room can bring our person back in an instant. Sometimes these moments feel like a gift. Other times, they knock the wind out of you. And many times it’s both. Theses moments remind us just how deeply our people were part of our lives. My coping tip for when a sensory memory hits, is to try pausing and naming it: “This smell or sound or sight reminds me of them.” It can shift the feeling from being blindsided to being connected. Some people even create a small memory box with items that hold those sensory ties, so they can choose when to visit them. I like that my senses keep Nick’s memory close. They remind us that while death changes the relationship, their presence is still woven into our lives.

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Please note, a number of groups are not meeting due to IOAD activities, this month. Always check the main calendar for up to date meetings list.

Randi Schalet facilitating for Don Regular Zoom 8/25/25.

Natick MA in-person not meeting this month.

East Boston MA in-person not meeting this month.

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK AT TSWR!

In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, our community came together to honor the lives of those who died due to overdose and other substance use–related causes. We released butterflies in remembrance, said our peoples names out loud and stood together as one big family driven by hope!

Thank you to Pastor John Wilson who led us in prayer, and speakers Michael Nashawaty, Annie Avitabile, Diana Cleary & Fred Viola. Thank you to Jessi Conley & her daughter Emma Wilson for the poem they read (see below) and to Sarah Blacker for her beautiful performance.

An amazing butterfly mural was unveiled that will stand as a permanent memorial to those who have died. Thanks to the Town of Braintree & The Braintree Community Partnership for helping make this day a visible reminder that our people are never forgotten.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

SADOD’s August PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP: The Dualities of Grief: Confronting Mixed Emotions Tuesday, August 26, 2025, 6:30 - 8:00 pm ET We often speak about the sadness and pain of grief and less often about the dual emotions that sometimes come up. We may feel joy and sorrow, relief and guilt, alone and connected, sometimes all at once and other times in different situations. For many, we have typically thought about emotions as “either you feel one way or you feel another way.” Yet, grief forces us to confront many emotions, some which may appear to be conflicting. In this workshop we will discuss the dualities of grief and how we can make space for all our emotions without feeling guilt or shame over them. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/grief-dualities.  Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

THE OPIOID PROJECT Changing Perceptions Through Art & Storytelling. Saturday 9/13/25 12-4 pm. Braintree MA The Opioid Project consists of a 4 hour art making and audio storytelling workshop where participants create collages and share personal stories. The art and recorded stories contextualize and bring to life the human costs of the epidemic. The finished work is hung in community multimedia exhibitions where each artwork is paired with its audio story. NO ART EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! View some samples here.

The storytelling portion is led by physician Dr. Annie Brewster founder of Health Story Collaborative and the art portion, by visual artist Nancy Marks.

The Opioid Project provides a safe place for those affected by the opioid epidemic to explore and process their personal experiences. Through art making and storytelling and in collaboration with community partners, they strive to decrease stigma and promote positive social change through dialogue, education and advocacy.

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. REGISTER HERE!

Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone.

If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Questions? Contact Robyn at 781-789-4604 robyn@thesunwillrise.org

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Braintree Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Braintree Opioid Abatement Funds have also been used to support this program.

UPCOMING MEMORIALS & VIGILS AROUND MA

There are so many remembrance events happening this month. SADOD has a IOAD event locator on their page for events in MA. If you are hosting an event and would like to add it to the locator, complete this form.

For other states and international events search here.

Help Us Prepare for International Overdose Awareness Day

Volunteers Needed in Natick MA to assist with Purple Flag installations to remember lives the people who died due to overdose in Massachusetts last year. Everyone is welcome. With enough help, setup takes about an hour. Second Installation: Sunday, September 7th at 9:00 am Newton-Wellesley Hospital 2014 Washington St Newton Questions? Email SOARnatick@gmail.com

Volunteers needed in Boston MA Friday 8/29/25 to help plant over 20,000 purple flags on the lawn at Liberty Mall in remembrance of those who have died due to overdose in Massachusetts between 2013-2024, sign up here. Please report at 7:30am to be assigned a task. T-shirts will be provided to volunteers on a first-come, first-served basis. If you volunteered in the past, please wear the shirt you were given and everyone is invited to wear a purple shirt in case t-shirts run out. They kindly ask that volunteers commit to at least two hours, though you are welcome to stay longer. At 9:00am, they expect government officials to arrive for a moment of silence. Resource tables will be present, and media will be in attendance. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR TABLING

We are looking for volunteers to staff our grief support resource tables for the many International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) events that are coming up. Please let us know if you can help out at any of these IOAD events by completing this sign up form. More to come!

Aug 26th 4:00pm - Whitinsville MA

Aug 27th 4:00pm - Taunton MA

Aug 27th 5:00pm - Easton MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Great Barrington MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Pittsfield MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Malden MA

Aug 31st 7:00pm - Revere MA

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 8/18/25

Grief Myth Busting

You’ve probably heard people say, “time heals all wounds.” It’s supposed to offer comfort, but for those of us living with grief, that doesn’t always feel true. Time alone doesn’t always heal. What matters is what we do in that time. We tell our stories, find safe places to share, honor our people who have died, connect with others who understand. Those things can help soften the sharp edges of grief. Grief isn’t something we need to get over. It can be something we learn to live with, building our lives around the death, carrying both the love and the grief. I’ve found this grief model to resonate with me. Does this way of thinking about grief resonate with you, too? Share on our facebook page about how you are growing around your grief.

Read more about Tonkin’s grief model.

Make sure to scroll to very bottom of newsletter to read the whole thing!

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Please note, a number of groups are not meeting due to IOAD activities, this month. Always check the main calendar for up to date meetings list.

Winthrop MA meeting on pause.

People In Recovery Weymouth Hybrid meeting will no longer meet. A Regular Hybrid meeting will begin at that location in October.

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK AT TSWR!

What a beautiful afternoon sailing adventure in Boston Harbor aboard the classic schooner, the Liberty Star! We could not have asked for more perfect weather. Our afternoon together brought comfort, connection, new friends. Make sure to join in one our next events or workshops!

A big thanks to all who helped us set up the flags this week in Braintree! It’s a beautiful display. Help is also needed to respectfully take down the flags. Monday, September 8 at 5:00 PM Braintree MA Town Hall

A intimate Butterfly Release in honor of IOAD for our Cape Cod group members was a powerful get together. Sharing these special moments builds community and support. Thanks to Senior Facilitator Kerry Bickford for organizing this event!

Tabling season is in full swing. Thanks to facilitator and event committee member Natalie Patricio for hosting a table for The Sun Will Rise and spreading the word about grief support at Gilly’s House Summerfest!

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Butterfly Release & International Overdose Awareness Day Ceremony. Saturday 8/23/25 10:00 am. Braintree MA. In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, we invite you to take part in our annual Butterfly Release Ceremony. Each guest will receive a live butterfly to release and/or a packet of wildflower seeds to plant in memory of a loved one. This day is a global observance that raises awareness about overdose, honors the people who have died and supports those who live with grief. We gather to remember without shame. We gather to say you are not alone. People with any substance use related death are invited to participate. This year’s theme: One Big Family, Driven by Hope. Cost: Free- but Please RSVP by reserving a ticket for each person wanting to release a butterfly. This helps us plan how many butterflies we need. All are welcome. Let’s spread awareness. Let’s hold space. Let’s release hope. Please note, new location Sunset Lake!

Hosted by: The Sun Will Rise Foundation

Braintree Community Partnership

Town of Braintree

SADOD’s August PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP: The Dualities of Grief: Confronting Mixed Emotions Tuesday, August 26, 2025, 6:30 - 8:00 pm ET We often speak about the sadness and pain of grief and less often about the dual emotions that sometimes come up. We may feel joy and sorrow, relief and guilt, alone and connected, sometimes all at once and other times in different situations. For many, we have typically thought about emotions as “either you feel one way or you feel another way.” Yet, grief forces us to confront many emotions, some which may appear to be conflicting. In this workshop we will discuss the dualities of grief and how we can make space for all our emotions without feeling guilt or shame over them. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/grief-dualities.  Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

THE OPIOID PROJECT Changing Perceptions Through Art & Storytelling. Saturday 9/13/25 12-4 pm. Braintree MA The Opioid Project consists of a 4 hour art making and audio storytelling workshop where participants create collages and share personal stories. The art and recorded stories contextualize and bring to life the human costs of the epidemic. The finished work is hung in community multimedia exhibitions where each artwork is paired with its audio story. NO ART EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! View some samples here.

The storytelling portion is led by physician Dr. Annie Brewster founder of Health Story Collaborative and the art portion, by visual artist Nancy Marks.

The Opioid Project provides a safe place for those affected by the opioid epidemic to explore and process their personal experiences. Through art making and storytelling and in collaboration with community partners, they strive to decrease stigma and promote positive social change through dialogue, education and advocacy.

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. REGISTER HERE!

Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone.

If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Questions? Contact Robyn at 781-789-4604 robyn@thesunwillrise.org

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Braintree Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Braintree Opioid Abatement Funds have also been used to support this program.

UPCOMING MEMORIALS & VIGILS AROUND MA

There are so many remembrance events happening this month. SADOD has a IOAD event locator on their page for events in MA. If you are hosting an event and would like to add it to the locator, complete this form.

For other states and international events search here.

For members in Plymouth County MA, you can have your person remembered by emailing matthewscandle922@gmail.com with their name and/or a message. Plymouth County Outreach will be displaying these signs for the next month.

Help Us Prepare for International Overdose Awareness Day

Volunteers Needed in Natick MA to assist with three upcoming Purple Flag installations to remember lives lost to overdose in Massachusetts last year. Everyone is welcome. With enough help, setup takes about an hour. First Installation: Saturday, August 23rd at 9:00 AM
First Congregational Church 2 E Central St, Natick, MA 01760. Newton 9/7/25 & Boston 9/21. (times to follow) Plenty of free parking available! Questions?Email SOARnatick@gmail.com

Volunteers needed in Boston MA Friday 8/29/25 to help plant over 20,000 purple flags on the lawn at Liberty Mall in remembrance of those who have died due to overdose in Massachusetts between 2013-2024, sign up here. Please report at 7:30am to be assigned a task. T-shirts will be provided to volunteers on a first-come, first-served basis. If you volunteered in the past, please wear the shirt you were given and everyone is invited to wear a purple shirt in case t-shirts run out. They kindly ask that volunteers commit to at least two hours, though you are welcome to stay longer. At 9:00am, they expect government officials to arrive for a moment of silence. Resource tables will be present, and media will be in attendance. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR TABLING

We are looking for volunteers to staff our grief support resource tables for the many International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) events that are coming up. Please let us know if you can help out at any of these IOAD events by completing this sign up form. More to come!

Aug 26th 4:00pm - Whitinsville MA

Aug 27th 4:00pm - Taunton MA

Aug 27th 5:00pm - Easton MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Great Barrington MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Pittsfield MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Malden MA

Aug 31st 7:00pm - Revere MA

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 8/10/25

NOT JUST OVERDOSE. Not everyone in our grief community has experienced an overdose death. Some died from alcohol related issues. Some died from long-term health complications tied to substance use. Some from accidents, homicide or suicide and others from things that connect back to substance use in some other way. All of these deaths matter and are seen. Every single person matters.

August brings a lot of attention to International Overdose Awareness Day. It’s important and the events can bring connection and awareness. But I also know it can be hard when it feels like the focus leaves some stories out. Your grief is no less valid. Your person’s story is no less important. The way they lived and how they’re remembered isn’t defined only by how they died. As we mark International Overdose Awareness Day this month, we hold space for all substance use related deaths. We see you. We honor your person. Always. That’s why our focus for our peer grief support is and always will be for people bereaved due to any substance use related death.

Are you remembering your person(s) a special way this month? We would love to hear about. You can also share a memory or thought about your person(s) with the group. Please complete this form. We’ll gather and share these in a way that honors everyone’s unique story.

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Please note, a number of groups are not meeting due to IOAD activities, this month. Always check the main calendar for up to date meetings list.

Hope After Loss, the Christian faith based group, in MARLBOROUGH MA (8/11/25) is a having a potluck dinner, instead of a regular group.

Nathan’s Circle in WEST BARNSTABLE MA (8/12/25) will have an IOAD ceremony in lieu of a regular meeting.

Please check our calendar before attending the AUBURN MA (8/12/25) group for a potential update.

Carol Bowers filling in for Kar-Kate at the Partner/Spouse (8/12/25) zoom.

A second MOM’S virtual group (8/14/25) is added this week.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Tall Ship Cruise Saturday 8/16/25 12:00 pm. Seaport Boston MA. SOLD OUT Set sail with us aboard The Liberty Star, a 67-foot wooden schooner designed as a replica of an 1890s coastal sailing vessel. Wait List here.

Butterfly Release & International Overdose Awareness Day Ceremony. Saturday 8/23/25 10:00 am. Braintree MA. In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, we invite you to take part in our annual Butterfly Release Ceremony. Each guest will receive a live butterfly to release and/or a packet of wildflower seeds to plant in memory of a loved one. This day is a global observance that raises awareness about overdose, honors the people who have died and supports those who live with grief. We gather to remember without shame. We gather to say you are not alone. People with any substance use related death are invited to participate. This year’s theme: One Big Family, Driven by Hope. Cost: Free- but Please RSVP by reserving a ticket for each person wanting to release a butterfly. This helps us plan how many butterflies we need. All are welcome. Let’s spread awareness. Let’s hold space. Let’s release hope. Please note, new location Sunset Lake!

Hosted by: The Sun Will Rise Foundation

Braintree Community Partnership

Town of Braintree

SADOD’s August PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP: The Dualities of Grief: Confronting Mixed Emotions Tuesday, August 26, 2025, 6:30 - 8:00 pm ET We often speak about the sadness and pain of grief and less often about the dual emotions that sometimes come up. We may feel joy and sorrow, relief and guilt, alone and connected, sometimes all at once and other times in different situations. For many, we have typically thought about emotions as “either you feel one way or you feel another way.” Yet, grief forces us to confront many emotions, some which may appear to be conflicting. In this workshop we will discuss the dualities of grief and how we can make space for all our emotions without feeling guilt or shame over them. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/grief-dualities.  Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

THE OPIOID PROJECT Changing Perceptions Through Art & Storytelling. Saturday 9/13/25 12-4 pm. Braintree MA The Opioid Project consists of a 4-hour art making and audio storytelling workshop where participants create collages and share personal stories. The art and recorded stories contextualize and bring to life the human costs of the epidemic. The finished work is hung in community multimedia exhibitions where each artwork is paired with its audio story. NO ART EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! View some samples here.

The storytelling portion is led by physician Dr. Annie Brewster founder of Health Story Collaborative and the art portion, by visual artist Nancy Marks.

The Opioid Project provides a safe place for those affected by the opioid epidemic to explore and process their personal experiences. Through art making and storytelling and in collaboration with community partners, they strive to decrease stigma and promote positive social change through dialogue, education and advocacy.

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. REGISTER HERE!

Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone.

If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Questions? Contact Robyn at 781-789-4604 robyn@thesunwillrise.org

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Braintree Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Braintree Opioid Abatement Funds have also been used to support this program.

UPCOMING MEMORIALS & VIGILS AROUND MA

There are so many remembrance events happening this month. SADOD has a IOAD event locator on their page for events in MA. If you are hosting an event and would like to add it to the locator, complete this form.

For other states and international events search here.

Help Us Prepare for International Overdose Awareness Day

Volunteers Needed in Braintree Thursday, August 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM Braintree Town Hall 1 JFK Memorial Drive, Braintree, MA. We’re looking for volunteers to help install 1,598 purple remembrance flags along the fence outside Braintree Town Hall. Each flag represents a Massachusetts resident who died due to overdose in 2024. We'll be zip-tying the flags to the fence… all materials are provided. Removal: Monday, September 8 at 5:00 PM: Help is also needed to respectfully take down the display. These flags reflect the most recent overdose data from the federal government and may be updated. Final state numbers have not yet been released. Bring a friend and be part of this meaningful tribute. Every hand helps. Questions? Email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

Volunteers Needed in Natick MA to assist with three upcoming Purple Flag installations to remember lives lost to overdose in Massachusetts last year. Everyone is welcome. With enough help, setup takes about an hour. First Installation: Saturday, August 23rd at 9:00 AM
First Congregational Church 2 E Central St, Natick, MA 01760. Newton 9/7/25 & Boston 9/21. (times to follow) Plenty of free parking available! Questions?Email SOARnatick@gmail.com

Volunteers needed in Boston MA Friday 8/29/25 to help plant over 20,000 purple flags on the lawn at Liberty Mall in remembrance of those who have died due to overdose in Massachusetts between 2013-2024, sign up here. Please report at 7:30am to be assigned a task. T-shirts will be provided to volunteers on a first-come, first-served basis. If you volunteered in the past, please wear the shirt you were given and everyone is invited to wear a purple shirt in case t-shirts run out. They kindly ask that volunteers commit to at least two hours, though you are welcome to stay longer. At 9:00am, they expect government officials to arrive for a moment of silence. Resource tables will be present, and media will be in attendance. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR TABLING

We are looking for volunteers to staff our grief support resource tables for the many International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) events that are coming up. Please let us know if you can help out at any of these IOAD events by completing this sign up form. More to come!

Aug 26th 4:00pm - Whitinsville MA

Aug 27th 4:00pm - Taunton MA

Aug 27th 5:00pm - Easton MA

Aug 31st 6:00pm - Falmouth MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Great Barrington MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Pittsfield MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Malden MA

Aug 31st 7:00pm - Revere MA

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 8/3/25

The Sun Will Rise Weekly Update

Week of August 3, 2025

SAYING YES TO TRYING THINGS: I didn’t know what I was walking into back in 2016 when my daughter Olivia and I took part in the The Opioid Project, Changing Perceptions through Art & Storytelling. It was only a short time after Nick died, and everything still felt so raw. But whenever I came across something that might help us in our grief in some kind of way, I chose to say, “yes.” I remember sitting with paints, paper and some things that reminded me of him for inspiration. In another room I was being asked gently to talk about him. I did. Through tears, through deep breaths. I painted something simple. And somehow, when it was all put together, my art, my voice, it became a piece of Nick’s story that still lives on. We offered this same workshop to teens a few years ago because I thought it was just so amazing. Now, we’re bringing that same experience to our community in MA. The Opioid Project gives people a chance to create something about their person, no art skills needed and talk about them in a space that truly listens. The end result is a multimedia piece that becomes part of an exhibit that helps the world better understand the impact of substance use and the love behind the death. Whether you're feeling ready to join or just want to see how others have told their stories, I hope you’ll take a moment to explore it. Maybe this a way to say, “yes” to something.

If you’re interested, here’s more about the project:
Listen and view samples from the projects over the years.
My own piece: Remembering Nick

Sign up to take part in-person here.

What have you said yes to? What have you said no to? Share them with us by responding to this email or by posting them on facebook, they may be helpful to other grievers!

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Please note, a number of groups are not meeting due to IOAD activities, this month. Always check the main calendar for up to date meetings list.

FALMOUTH MA in-person group CANCELLED for 8/6/25. Nathan’s Circle in WEST BARNSTABLE MA (8/12/25) will have an IOAD butterfly release ceremony in lieu of a regular meeting. People who attend either group are invited.

SITE VISIT SPOTLIGHTS

Our Director of Engagement, David Swindell, visited key community partners to talk about our peer grief support work. First stop: Taunton Peer Recovery Support Center, where he connected with Nicholas Teixeira, Assistant Program Director, about grief support for men. Next stop at A New Way Recovery where he met with Paul Smith, Program Director, to talk about the unique needs of young adults navigating recovery, grief and healing.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Storytelling Through Grief: Finding Healing and Hope. Four-session virtual workshop led by award-winning Storyteller Meghann Perry. 8/7/25, 8/14/25 8/21/25, & 9/4/25 SOLD OUT! Wait list available here. Questions? Email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

Tall Ship Cruise Saturday 8/16/25 12:00 pm. Seaport Boston MA. Set sail with us aboard The Liberty Star, a 67-foot wooden schooner designed as a replica of an 1890s coastal sailing vessel. Reserve Your Spot HERE Three tickets remain.

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. Questions? Contact Natalie at 774-955-7752 jeepgirl474@gmail.com We’d love to have you with us for this peaceful and meaningful afternoon on the water.

Butterfly Release & International Overdose Awareness Day Ceremony. Saturday 8/23/25 10:00 am. Braintree MA. In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, we invite you to take part in our annual Butterfly Release Ceremony. Each guest will receive a live butterfly to release and/or a packet of wildflower seeds to plant in memory of a loved one. This day is a global observance that raises awareness about overdose, honors the people who have died and supports those who live with grief. We gather to remember without shame. We gather to say you are not alone. This year’s theme: One Big Family, Driven by Hope. Cost: Free- but Please RSVP by reserving a ticket for each person wanting to release a butterfly. This helps us plan how many butterflies we need. All are welcome. Let’s spread awareness. Let’s hold space. Let’s release hope. Please note, new location Sunset Lake!

Hosted by: The Sun Will Rise Foundation

Braintree Community Partnership

Town of Braintree

NEW EVENT! THE OPIOID PROJECT Changing Perceptions Through Art & Storytelling. Saturday 9/13/25 12-4 pm. Braintree MA The Opioid Project consists of a 4-hour art making and audio storytelling workshop where participants create collages and share personal stories. The art and recorded stories contextualize and bring to life the human costs of the epidemic. The finished work is hung in community multimedia exhibitions where each artwork is paired with its audio story. NO ART EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! View some samples here.

The storytelling portion is led by physician Dr. Annie Brewster founder of Health Story Collaborative and the art portion, by visual artist Nancy Marks.

The Opioid Project provides a safe place for those affected by the opioid epidemic to explore and process their personal experiences. Through art making and storytelling and in collaboration with community partners, they strive to decrease stigma and promote positive social change through dialogue, education and advocacy.

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. REGISTER HERE!

Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone.

If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Questions? Contact Robyn at 781-789-4604 robyn@thesunwillrise.org

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Braintree Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

UPCOMING MEMORIALS & VIGILS AROUND MA

There are so many remembrance events happening this month. SADOD has a IOAD event locator on their page for events in MA. If you are hosting an event and would like to add it to the locator, complete this form.

For other states and international events search here.

Help Us Prepare for International Overdose Awareness Day

Volunteers Needed in Braintree Thursday, August 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM Braintree Town Hall 1 JFK Memorial Drive, Braintree, MA. We’re looking for volunteers to help install 1,525 purple remembrance flags along the fence outside Braintree Town Hall. Each flag represents a Massachusetts resident who died due to overdose in 2024. We'll be zip-tying the flags to the fence… all materials are provided. Removal: Monday, September 8 at 5:00 PM: Help is also needed to respectfully take down the display. These flags reflect the most recent overdose data from the federal government and may be updated. Final state numbers have not yet been released. Bring a friend and be part of this meaningful tribute. Every hand helps. Questions? Email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

Volunteers Needed in Natick MA to assist with three upcoming Purple Flag installations to remember lives lost to overdose in Massachusetts last year. Everyone is welcome. With enough help, setup takes about an hour. First Installation: Saturday, August 23rd at 9:00 AM
First Congregational Church 2 E Central St, Natick, MA 01760. Newton 9/7/25 & Boston 9/21. (times to follow) Plenty of free parking available! Questions?Email SOARnatick@gmail.com

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR TABLING

We are looking for volunteers to staff our grief support resource tables for the many International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) events that are coming up. Please let us know if you can help out at any of these IOAD events by completing this sign up form. More to come!

Aug 26th 4:00pm - Whitinsville MA

Aug 27th 4:00pm - Taunton MA

Aug 28th 1:30pm - Cambridge MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Great Barrington MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Pittsfield MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Malden MA

Aug 31st 7:00pm - Revere MA

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

The Sun Will Rise Foundation, 541 Washington St, Braintree MA 02184, USA

Week of 7/27/25

Early Grief

For some people, very early grief feels like trying to breathe underwater. Grief can make life feel disorienting. These are a few things that may help you get through those hard days.

Eat something, even if it’s just crackers. Just get something in your body.

Stop apologizing. You don’t owe anyone a tidy version of your pain.

Say no to things. You don’t need to show up for everything or everyone right now.

Find a person. One safe person who won’t try to fix it. Just listens. (Our groups have great listeners.)

Let the weird things happen. Talking to the air. Carrying their shirt around.

Cry. Or don’t. Grief doesn’t always look like sobbing. Sometimes it’s silence, or rage or forgetfulness.

Sleep if you can. And if not, at least rest. Your body is doing hard work.

Remember: there’s no timeline. You’re not “behind” in grief. You’re in it.

I didn’t do any of it perfectly. I still don’t. But these little things helped me keep going when I wasn’t sure I could. If you’re in that place right now where you feel like you are barely holding it together, you’re not doing it wrong, you’re just grieving.

Watch the raw and honest The Reality of Loss created by Megan Devine of Refuge for Grief.

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

NEW GROUP ANNOUNCEMENT

We’re excited to officially welcome the long standing Natick peer grief support group, The Journey, to The Sun Will Rise Foundation. This group has been meeting for years and is now part of our growing network of support for those bereaved due to substance use related causes. Facilitator Kathryn Peirce, who has been compassionately leading the group, also began facilitating our Auburn group a few months ago. We’re so glad to have her and the the members who came over with her as part of our larger community of support. The group is meeting Tuesday 7/29/25, if you live in the Metrowest area, you are invited to join in this wonderful support!

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

New Natick MA in-person group starts this week.

Gloucester MA hybrid group, will only meet via zoom and not in person this month.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Storytelling Through Grief: Finding Healing and Hope. Four-session virtual workshop led by award-winning Storyteller Meghann Perry. 8/7/25, 8/14/25 8/21/25, & 9/4/25 SOLD OUT! Wait list available here. Questions? Email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

Tall Ship Cruise Saturday 8/16/25 12:00 pm. Seaport Boston MA. Set sail with us aboard The Liberty Star, a 67-foot wooden schooner designed as a replica of an 1890s coastal sailing vessel. Limit: 4 tickets per family. Reserve Your Spot HERE

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. Questions? Contact Natalie at 774-955-7752 jeepgirl474@gmail.com We’d love to have you with us for this peaceful and meaningful afternoon on the water.

Butterfly Release & International Overdose Awareness Day Ceremony. Saturday 8/23/25 10:00 am. Braintree MA. In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, we invite you to take part in our annual Butterfly Release Ceremony. Each guest will receive a live butterfly to release and/or a packet of wildflower seeds to plant in memory of a loved one. This day is a global observance that raises awareness about overdose, honors the people who have died and supports those who live with grief. We gather to remember without shame. We gather to say you are not alone. This year’s theme: One Big Family, Driven by Hope. Cost: Free- but Please RSVP by reserving a ticket for each person wanting to release a butterfly. This helps us plan how many butterflies we need. All are welcome. Let’s spread awareness. Let’s hold space. Let’s release hope. Please note, new location Sunset Lake!

Hosted by: The Sun Will Rise Foundation

Braintree Community Partnership

Town of Braintree

NEW EVENT! THE OPIOID PROJECT Changing Perceptions Through Art & Storytelling. Saturday 9/13/25 12-4 pm. Braintree MA The Opioid Project consists of a 4-hour art making and audio storytelling workshop where participants create collages and share personal stories. The art and recorded stories contextualize and bring to life the human costs of the epidemic. The finished work is hung in community multimedia exhibitions where each artwork is paired with its audio story. NO ART EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! View some samples here.

The storytelling portion is led by physician Dr. Annie Brewster founder of Health Story Collaborative and the art portion, by visual artist Nancy Marks.

The Opioid Project provides a safe place for those affected by the opioid epidemic to explore and process their personal experiences. Through art making and storytelling and in collaboration with community partners, they strive to decrease stigma and promote positive social change through dialogue, education and advocacy.

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. REGISTER HERE!

Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone.

If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Questions? Contact Robyn at 781-789-4604 robyn@thesunwillrise.org

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Braintree Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are looking for volunteers to staff our grief support resource tables for the many International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) events that are coming up. Please let us know if you can help out at any of these IOAD events by completing this sign up form. More to come!

Aug 25th 6:00pm - Easthampton MA

Aug 26th 5:30pm - South Hadley

Aug 27th 4:00pm - Taunton MA

Aug 28th 6:00pm - Belchertown, MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Great Barrington MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Pittsfield MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Malden MA

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

Week of 7/20/25

Grievers over the years have told me that grief feels like, answering “How are you?” and lying every time. Laughing and then feeling guilty for it. Forgetting someone is gone for a split second. Watching people move on and wondering how. Having a perfectly normal day and then crashing at 7pm. Folding their shirt and not knowing what to do next. Being both too much and not enough. Missing someone in places they’ve never even been.

Does any of that feel familiar? Or does grief feels like something totally different to you? These feelings can change day to day. How would you answer the question, “Grief feels like….?” Reply here and I’ll compile a list of what grief feels like to all of you and share it back in a future newsletter.

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! Please check the calendar regularly…last-minute changes can happen.

Click here to open the calendar

If you’re receiving this email, you do not need to pre-register again.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The Monday Grandparent Zoom group will now meet at 5:30 PM ET, starting this week.

The Monday evening Zoom group (open to anyone, regardless of relationship) will now meet 30 minutes earlier at 8:30 PM ET.

East Boston cancelled this month.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

SADOD’s July PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP Reaching Out with Val Walker: 10 Ways to Build Community When Grieving Tuesday 7/22/25 6:30pm ET In uncertain times, such as when we are grieving, many of us are asking: “How do I make new connections?” Author, bereaved person, rehabilitation consultant, and Psychology Today blogger, Val Walker, will lead a discussion where we will share ideas and real-life success stories of how we can expand and enrich our social life. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/building-community-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

Storytelling Through Grief: Finding Healing and Hope. Four-session virtual workshop led by award-winning Storyteller Meghann Perry. 8/7/25, 8/14/25 8/21/25, & 9/4/25 Stories are a way of showing us how we see the world and what is sacred to us. When someone we care about dies, especially in a way that carries stigma, it can change the way we tell those stories. Sometimes, the story we tell revolves around pain, shame or silence. That can keep us from remembering the full truth of who they were and it can hold us back in our own healing journey. This 4 session workshop is designed to help people explore a different relationship with their story. With guidance from experienced story coaches, participants will gently reflect on how their story has been shaped, what parts might feel difficult and what other truths are waiting to be told. Through small group conversations, pair sharing and gentle coaching, we’ll begin to open space for new meaning. This doesn’t mean rewriting the past, it means allowing the complexity of love, grief and memory to come forward in a way that feels more whole. This is a space for grieving people to be honest, heard and supported in finding a story that feels more true, not just about how their person died, but about how they lived. Plan to attend all four sessions. Cost: Free You must reserve your spot by signing up for a ticket. A zoom link for the four sessions will be sent prior to the workshop sessions. Questions? Email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

Tall Ship Cruise Saturday 8/16/25 12:00 pm. Seaport Boston MA. Set sail with us aboard The Liberty Star, a 67-foot wooden schooner designed as a replica of an 1890s coastal sailing vessel. Limit: 4 tickets per family. Reserve Your Spot HERE

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. Questions? Contact Natalie at 774-955-7752 jeepgirl474@gmail.com We’d love to have you with us for this peaceful and meaningful afternoon on the water.

New! Butterfly Release & International Overdose Awareness Day Ceremony. Saturday 8/23/25 10:00 am. Braintree MA. In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, we invite you to take part in our annual Butterfly Release Ceremony. Each guest will receive a live butterfly to release and/or a packet of wildflower seeds to plant in memory of a loved one. This day is a global observance that raises awareness about overdose, honors the people who have died and supports those who live with grief. We gather to remember without shame. We gather to say you are not alone. This year’s theme: One Big Family, Driven by Hope. Cost: Free- but Please RSVP by reserving a ticket for each person wanting to release a butterfly. This helps us plan how many butterflies we need. All are welcome. Let’s spread awareness. Let’s hold space. Let’s release hope. Please note, new location Sunset Lake!

Hosted by: The Sun Will Rise Foundation

Braintree Community Partnership

Town of Braintree

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are looking for volunteers to staff our grief support resource tables for the many International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) events that are coming up. Please let us know if you can help out at any of these IOAD events by completing this sign up form. More to come!

Aug 28th 6:00pm - Belchertown, MA

Aug 27th 4:00pm - Taunton MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Pittsfield MA

Aug 25th 6:00pm - Easthampton MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Malden MA

Aug 31st 6:30pm - Great Barrington MA

HEALING THROUGH WONDER PROJECT

On this episode of Healing Through Wonder, co-hosts Val Walker and Robyn Houston-Bean enjoy stories and insights from Dave Roberts, LMSW, author, adjunct professor of psychology child-life at Utica University, bereavement support specialist, former addictions counselor, and host of the Teaching Journeys Podcast. We explore awe and wonder through Dave's experiences of signs and synchronicities as he describes his continuing bond with his daughter, Jeannine, who died in 2003. People who are grieving and survivors of trauma are often open to awe through similar experiences that feel profoundly intimate, amazing, and lifechanging. Our conversation deeply examines these very personal breathtaking moments that can allow us to find meaning and hope in living with grief. Would you like to share your story of awe or wonder? Sign up here!

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 7/13/25

Things I Said to the Microwave While Crying

Grief is strange. It shows up in the quietest moments and makes everything feel heavier than it should. I remember standing in my kitchen, staring at the microwave, trying to reheat a leftover dinner for the third time. I was crying. Big tears over… I don’t even know. The ruined food? The silence? Just everything. I didn’t say anything profound. I didn’t even say anything helpful. I just screamed out loud to an empty room, “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore and I hate it,” and then stood there for a while. Grief scrambles you. It makes the simplest things hard. You forget why you walked into a room. You start talking to objects because the people you want to talk to are gone. I’ve apologized to chairs, sworn at socks, cried and called for help from beyond because I misplaced my keys for the tenth time in a week. If you’ve had moments like this, talking to a photo, whispering into the quiet, know it’s not just you. This is part of grief. The weird parts. The in-between moments. The things no one talks about but almost everyone who’s grieving understands.

Share about things you’ve said or done in grief at one of our upcoming grief groups. We want to hear about your grief journey.

There is another way to tell your grief story too! We would love to have you join us at a four session storytelling workshop led by award winning story teller, Meghann Perry! This is a space for grieving people to be honest, heard and supported in telling a story not just about how their person died, but about how they lived. More info below. Sign up here!

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

View the interactive monthly calendar here. This is where you will find up to date meeting information, zoom links and location information! Reminder, check the calendar as last minute changes happen from time to time.

THE WEEK AHEAD

• The LGBTQ zoom is back on the schedule starting this week.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

SADOD’s July PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP Reaching Out with Val Walker: 10 Ways to Build Community When Grieving Tuesday 7/22/25 6:30pm ET In uncertain times, such as when we are grieving, many of us are asking: “How do I make new connections?” Author, bereaved person, rehabilitation consultant, and Psychology Today blogger, Val Walker, will lead a discussion where we will share ideas and real-life success stories of how we can expand and enrich our social life. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/building-community-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

NEW! Storytelling Through Grief: Finding Healing and Hope. Four-session virtual workshop led by award-winning Storyteller Meghann Perry. 8/7/25, 8/14/25 8/21/25, & 9/4/25 Stories are a way of showing us how we see the world and what is sacred to us. When someone we care about dies, especially in a way that carries stigma, it can change the way we tell those stories. Sometimes, the story we tell revolves around pain, shame or silence. That can keep us from remembering the full truth of who they were and it can hold us back in our own healing journey. This 4 session workshop is designed to help people explore a different relationship with their story. With guidance from experienced story coaches, participants will gently reflect on how their story has been shaped, what parts might feel difficult and what other truths are waiting to be told. Through small group conversations, pair sharing and gentle coaching, we’ll begin to open space for new meaning. This doesn’t mean rewriting the past, it means allowing the complexity of love, grief and memory to come forward in a way that feels more whole. This is a space for grieving people to be honest, heard and supported in finding a story that feels more true, not just about how their person died, but about how they lived. Plan to attend all four sessions. Cost: Free You must reserve your spot by signing up for a ticket. A zoom link for the four sessions will be sent prior to the workshop sessions. Questions? Email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

Tall Ship Cruise Saturday 8/16/25 12:00 pm. Seaport Boston MA. Set sail with us aboard The Liberty Star, a 67-foot wooden schooner designed as a replica of an 1890s coastal sailing vessel. Limit: 4 tickets per family. Reserve Your Spot HERE

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. Questions? Contact Natalie at 774-955-7752 jeepgirl474@gmail.com We’d love to have you with us for this peaceful and meaningful afternoon on the water.

New! Butterfly Release & International Overdose Awareness Day Ceremony. Saturday 8/23/25 10:00 am. Braintree MA. In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, we invite you to take part in our annual Butterfly Release Ceremony. Each guest will receive a live butterfly to release and/or a packet of wildflower seeds to plant in memory of a loved one. This day is a global observance that raises awareness about overdose, honors the people who have died and supports those who live with grief. We gather to remember without shame. We gather to say you are not alone. This year’s theme: One Big Family, Driven by Hope. Cost: Free- but Please RSVP by reserving a ticket for each person wanting to release a butterfly. This helps us plan how many butterflies we need. All are welcome. Let’s spread awareness. Let’s hold space. Let’s release hope. Please note, new location Sunset Lake!

Hosted by: The Sun Will Rise Foundation

Braintree Community Partnership

Town of Braintree

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are looking for volunteers to staff our grief support resource tables for the many International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) events that are coming up. Please let us know if you can help out at any of these IOAD events by completing this sign up form. More to come!

Aug 28th @ 6:30pm - Canton, MA

Aug 29th @9:00am - Boston MA

MA RESIDENTS JOIN BSAS Living Expertise Advisory Pool (LEAP)

LEAP serves as a statewide body of community members, residents, and professionals who want to contribute lived and living experience to work happening at the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance of Addiction Services (BSAS). LEAP members will be invited to learn more about what happens at BSAS and across our system of services, and may receive paid consultation opportunities as a way of ensuring that community voice is represented in our decision-making. You can join LEAP by completing this application, which allows you to choose which experiences and identities inform your perspective. All responses except contact information are optional, and will be securely stored with only OCHE staff able to view the information you share. After attending orientation and relevant Community Academies, you’ll be eligible for matching with BSAS projects where your expertise will provide valuable insights.

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 7/6/25

Grief and Decision Fatigue

Some days even simple choices feel overwhelming when you are grieving like what to eat, what to wear, whether to reply to a message or return a call, whether to go to a holiday gathering or stay home. When grief is heavy, every little decision adds up. You can run out of mental energy really fast. Your memory can be impacted and you can be second guessing yourself.

So what can help?

• Delay major decisions if you can.

• Take one thing at a time or set up small goals like focusing on one meal or one call on one day.

• Keep your choices simple. Limit your options and let your routines guides you.

• Write it out. Get the decisions out of your head and onto paper.

• Ask for decision support from someone.

• Be patient with yourself.

If every day feels like running a marathon just to decide what to wear, know that’s a real thing. It comes with grief. And it’s okay to make choices smaller when your mind is already full. Want to talk about some of the decision making issues you may be having? Attend one of our grief groups and find a community of people who understand.

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

View the interactive monthly calendar here. This is where you will find up to date meeting information, zoom links and location information!

THE WEEK AHEAD

• Grieving Grandparents is meeting this week due to holiday change

• Kingston MA cancelled this month

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

SADOD’s July PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP Reaching Out with Val Walker: 10 Ways to Build Community When Grieving Tuesday 7/22/25 6:30pm ET In uncertain times, such as when we are grieving, many of us are asking: “How do I make new connections?” Author, bereaved person, rehabilitation consultant, and Psychology Today blogger, Val Walker, will lead a discussion where we will share ideas and real-life success stories of how we can expand and enrich our social life. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/building-community-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

Tall Ship Cruise Saturday 8/16/25 12:00 pm. Seaport Boston MA. Set sail with us aboard The Liberty Star, a 67-foot wooden schooner designed as a replica of an 1890s coastal sailing vessel. Limit: 4 tickets per family. Reserve Your Spot HERE

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. Questions? Contact Natalie at 774-955-7752 jeepgirl474@gmail.com We’d love to have you with us for this peaceful and meaningful afternoon on the water.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are looking for volunteers to staff our grief support resource tables for the many International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) events that are coming up. Please let us know if you can help out at any of these IOAD events by completing this sign up form. More to come!

Aug 28th @ 6:30pm - Canton, MA

Aug 29th @9:00am - Boston MA

UPCOMING MEMORIALS & VIGILS AROUND MA

GRIEF RESEARCH STUDY

Study Title: Coping with grief: A multivariate longitudinal study

Invitation to Participate
If you are 18 years or older and have experienced the death of a significant person in your life at least 3 months ago, you are invited to take part in a survey about your grief experience.

REGISTER HERE

This is study is not associated with The Sun Will Rise. Direct any questions to Dr. Joanne Cacciatore at jcaccia@asu.edu

FREE OVERDOSE LOSS GRIEF CAMP INFO

COMFORT ZONE CAMP: This camp is for children ages 7 to 17 (18, if still in high school) who have experienced overdose death. September 12-14, 2025 at Camp Ramah in Wingdale, NY Contact Becky Sewell with any questions. bsewell@comfortzonecamp.org

REGISTER HERE

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.or

Week of 6/29/25

Grieving a Future That Won’t Happen

Some of the hardest parts of grief are the pieces other people don’t see. You expect the birthdays, the anniversaries, the missing them at a holiday. But then something else hits you, a graduation that should’ve happened, a wedding that will never take place, a child or grandchild that won’t be born, a trip that they won’t take. And you realize, you're grieving the future.

A person in one of our groups said they avoid baby showers. It’s not because they don’t love their friends, it’s because that was supposed to be them one day, but their boyfriend died and the baby they future planned for will never be. That version of life is gone and it hurts. It’s not about just missing their person, it’s about not having the life they imagined. Grief shows up in so many ways.

If you feel like sharing about a future moment you are grieving, post it on our private facebook page.

READ MORE: Grieving the Life You Expected: Nonfinite Grief and Loss

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

View the interactive monthly calendar here. This is where you will find up to date meeting information, zoom links and location information!

THE WEEK AHEAD

• Portland ME cancelled due to holiday

• Grieving Grandparents moved to 7/10/25 due to holiday

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

SADOD’s July PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP Reaching Out with Val Walker: 10 Ways to Build Community When Grieving Tuesday 7/22/25 6:30pm ET In uncertain times, such as when we are grieving, many of us are asking: “How do I make new connections?” Author, bereaved person, rehabilitation consultant, and Psychology Today blogger, Val Walker, will lead a discussion where we will share ideas and real-life success stories of how we can expand and enrich our social life. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/building-community-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

NEW EVENT: Tall Ship Cruise Saturday 8/16/25 12:00 pm. Seaport Boston MA. Set sail with us aboard The Liberty Star, a 67-foot wooden schooner designed as a replica of an 1890s coastal sailing vessel. Limit: 4 tickets per family. Reserve Your Spot HERE

Cost: FREE – but requires a $20 per person deposit. You’ll receive the full deposit back at the event. We ask for this to help us continue offering events like this at no cost to you. Questions? Contact Natalie at 774-955-7752 jeepgirl474@gmail.com We’d love to have you with us for this peaceful and meaningful afternoon on the water.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are looking for volunteers to staff our grief support resource tables for the many International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) events that are coming up. Please let us know if you can help out at any of these IOAD events by completing this sign up form. More to come!

Aug 26th @ 6:00pm- Brockton MA

Aug 28th @ 6:30pm - Weymouth, MA

Aug 28th @ 6:30pm - Canton, MA

Aug 29th @9:00am - Boston MA

THE SUN WILL RISE IN THE COMMUNITY

From Worcester to Walpole MA and beyond, you will find The Sun Will Rise Volunteers connecting with Community! Thanks to Aileen Lovejoy & Deb Foley for tabling at the Veterans’s Stand Down and Judy Kelly, Cindy Kaplan and Natalie Patricio for hosting the event at Bird Park!

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 6/22/25

Why We Do This

Grief, especially after a substance use related death can be really isolating. You start to feel like you’re carrying it alone. Like maybe no one really wants to hear about it anymore. That’s exactly why The Sun Will Rise exists. We try to make space for grief that doesn’t get talked about enough. We gather with others who just get it, virtually or in-person, without needing to explain every detail. And it’s why we’re inviting you to join us next Sunday, June 29, for a casual picnic at Francis William Bird Park in Walpole MA. We’ll be there at noon. There’ll be food, quiet spots to sit and people who understand what it’s like to carry this kind of grief.

You can come with someone or come on your own. There won’t be any speeches or agenda. Just connection and the kind of community that can be really helpful. If you’re close enough to get there, we’d love to see you. Even if you’re not sure you’ll stay the whole time. Even if it’s your first time coming to something like this. Bring your person(s) favorite food, we would love to try it out!

And if you’re farther away, we hope you’ll take a moment that day to do something gentle for yourself. Go outside. Eat something your person loved. Post the recipe on our private facebook page!

We hope to see you there. Really.

Read more about taking about grief at Business Insider

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

You can view the new calendar here. This is where you will get the zoom links and location information! I’ve made a short tutorial for how to find the meeting & event info using a laptop or desktop. Watch that here. NEW: You can also download it as an app on your phone or ipad. Learn more here or watch here.

THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS!

We’re so grateful for a recent donation that came in from The Braintree Rotary, a local chapter of Rotary International. These gifts help us keep our groups and events free and accessible to all and make sure no one has to grieve without support. Every dollar goes toward creating spaces where people feel understood.

If you know a business or organization that might want to support this work, feel free to share this link: https://givebutter.com/7uFxGE. It truly makes a difference.

ACCOLADES

We are so proud to celebrate senior facilitator for TSWR Kerry Bickford, recipient of the 2025 Harriet Jackson-Lyons Award from the Massachusetts Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.

This Governor’s Citation honors her unwavering commitment as a grandmother, support group facilitator, and peer grief specialist with The Sun Will Rise/SADOD. Kerry’s leadership and compassion continue to light the way for so many.

THIRD ANNUAL FACILITATOR MEET & GREET

Tonight we gathered with some of our incredible team of facilitators and support staff for our 3rd Annual TSWR Facilitator Meet and Greet. We honored the people who brought us to this work, reflected on the lives we’ve touched and reminded each other why we do the work we do and why peer grief support matters. We ended the night with The Rabbit Listened, a simple story that says so much about what it means to just be there for someone in grief. Thanks to all our amazing facilitators!

Are you interested in facilitating? Complete this inquiry form and we will be in touch to discuss.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

SADOD's June Psychoeducational Workshop~Secondary Loss Tuesday, June 24, 2025 6:30-8:00 pm ET Virtual Grief is complex, and often the loss we experience is more than just the death of a loved one. Secondary losses—the ripple effects of that death—can impact many aspects of our lives in unexpected ways. Whether it’s the loss of social connections, identity shifts, or changes to our financial stability, these secondary losses can be just as profound as the death-loss itself. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/secondary-loss-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

Pot Luck Picnic Sunday June 29, 2025 12:00 pm. Walpole MA Join us for an enjoyable day in nature at Francis William Bird Park. We will enjoy a relaxed afternoon in the sun or shade at this lovely country park setting, boasting 2 ponds, paved walking paths, picnic tables, bridges and a playground. We ask that each person or small group bring a dish for the picnic. A salad, chips, main course, or dessert. It could be your person’s favorite food! Bring lawn chairs or a blanket for sitting as there is a limited amount of seating at the picnic tables. We will have outdoor games available for group activities.  We’ll also walk the paths as a group or individuals if we choose and “Call Their Names” and share our stories. Bring yourself, your family, your dog (with leash), children, grandchildren, friends. Dress for a day at the park. Take bug spray. We will supply drinks and water and plates, utensils, etc. If you play a guitar, bring it! Register to let us know what you are bringing.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FROM THE BUREAU OF ADDICTION SERVICES

If you identify as a person who has received substance use or addiction-related services (and/or family members and loved ones of those individuals) from Prevention, Harm Reduction, Treatment, Recovery Support, Housing, and other programs, particularly those representing underserved and marginalized communities, please complete this anonymous RFI by 7/11/25. Purpose of this RFI: To gather input from a wide range of community members, students, educators, substance use and addiction workforce members, and service providers that will help BSAS shape a funding opportunity to support culturally responsive addiction education and collaborative community supports.

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 6/15/25

When You Don’t Have the Words

Sometimes you can’t explain your grief. You try to talk about it and the words just won’t come. Or they do, but they don’t feel right. There have been so many times I’ve sat there with a pen and journal in front of me and nothing that I wrote made sense. But when I stopped trying to “say” it and just let myself doodle or scribble it helped because it gave all the noise in my head somewhere to go.

That’s what our next virtual event is about. This isn’t about making “art.” It’s about letting your grief show up on the page. We’ll use doodling and writing prompts to get a little of it out. Maybe quiet the brain a bit. Maybe even feel a little lighter for a while.

No experience needed. Just bring yourself, some paper and something to write with. Thursday at 7:00 pm ET. Signup is below.

Read more about How to Use Art to Help You Cope with Grief

If you are out of state and can’t get to our in person events, please join us at this online event to create community!

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

You can view the new calendar here. This is where you will get the zoom links and location information! I’ve made a short tutorial for how to find the meeting & event info using a laptop or desktop. Watch that here. NEW: You can also download it as an app on your phone or ipad. Learn more here or watch here.

THIS WEEK’S MEETINGS UPDATES

• People In Recovery Gloucester starts this week.

• People In Recovery Taunton starts this week.

MEET THE FACILTATOR

Meet Katie Bradley, co-facilitator of the Auburn MA group: “My name is Katie and I use she/her pronouns. I am a full-time peer specialist at Kiva's Recovery Learning Community, but more importantly, I am a mother, a daughter, and a person in long-term recovery. I lost my mother, Miss Jami Lee Bradley-Hand, for the last time at the young age of 60 in October of 2022, to complications of long-term alcohol use. My first experience with grief support was coupled with recovery support, and the two have been intrinsically linked for me since. Everyday in my work, I meet someone that reminds me of the magic that she was and I am honored to be able use my experiences to sit with and be of support to others in their journeys to healing.” Welcome Katie!

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

VIRTUAL EVENT! Exploring Loss Through Mindful Doodling June 19, 2025 7:00 pm ET Grief is a complex, personal journey and sometimes words aren’t enough to capture the emotions we experience. Join us to discover the peaceful art of doodling combined with some writing prompts as a way to gently process grief.  In this guided session where we’ll use simple, creative exercises to bring feelings to life on paper, finding comfort and clarity in the process. The act of doodling, often spontaneous and free, will serve as a form of meditation, helping to release tension, quiet the mind, and foster self-compassion. This is also an opportunity to write about a person, animal, relationship, or place that we miss in a supportive group session. No previous art experience is needed. This workshop focuses on personal expression, not artistic skill, and offers a safe, non-judgmental space to honor your emotions. Presented by Cara Bean, cartoonist, art educator and author of Here I Am, I Am Me. REGISTER HERE!

SADOD's June Psychoeducational Workshop~Secondary Loss Tuesday, June 24, 2025 6:30-8:00 pm ET Virtual Grief is complex, and often the loss we experience is more than just the death of a loved one. Secondary losses—the ripple effects of that death—can impact many aspects of our lives in unexpected ways. Whether it’s the loss of social connections, identity shifts, or changes to our financial stability, these secondary losses can be just as profound as the death-loss itself.

 In this workshop, we will explore the often-overlooked secondary losses that arise after losing a loved one to substance-related causes and what we can do to work through them.
This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/secondary-loss-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

Pot Luck Picnic Sunday June 29, 2025 12:00 pm. Walpole MA Join us for an enjoyable day in nature at Francis William Bird Park. We will enjoy a relaxed afternoon in the sun or shade at this lovely country park setting, boasting 2 ponds, paved walking paths, picnic tables, bridges and a playground. We ask that each person or small group bring a dish for the picnic. A salad, chips, main course, or dessert. It could be your person’s favorite food! Bring lawn chairs or a blanket for sitting as there is a limited amount of seating at the picnic tables. We will have outdoor games available for group activities.  We’ll also walk the paths as a group or individuals if we choose and “Call Their Names” and share our stories. Bring yourself, your family, your dog (with leash), children, grandchildren, friends. Dress for a day at the park. Take bug spray. We will supply drinks and water and plates, utensils, etc. If you play a guitar, bring it! Register to let us know what you are bringing.

NE REVOLUTION GAME

The weather cooperated and we were able to have a blast at the NE Revolution game at Gillette Stadium! Here’s a peek at just some of the TSWR soccer fans! We can laugh, we can cry and we can holler while waving rally t-shirts! Join us at one of our next events!

MEN’S FLY FISHING TRIP

A special thank you to group member Jim Faust for providing the opportunity for some the men’s group to go on a Fly Fishing Trip. It was powerful time away in nature with other men who understand. Jim has created a foundation in his son’s memory called Adam’s Parachute, which provides therapeutic Fly Fishing.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FROM THE BUREAU OF ADDICTION SERVICES

If you identify as a person who has received substance use or addiction-related services (and/or family members and loved ones of those individuals) from Prevention, Harm Reduction, Treatment, Recovery Support, Housing, and other programs, particularly those representing underserved and marginalized communities, please complete this anonymous RFI by 7/11/25. Purpose of this RFI: To gather input from a wide range of community members, students, educators, substance use and addiction workforce members, and service providers that will help BSAS shape a funding opportunity to support culturally responsive addiction education and collaborative community supports.

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 6/8/25

Father’s Day When Things Are Different

Father’s Day can hit hard when life has shifted in ways you never imagined. For dads who have experienced the death of a child, the day can feel complicated. So many dads spend their lives trying to fix things, to protect, to hold their families together. And after a death, when there’s no “fixing” the pain, so many are left feeling helpless. It’s also a hard day for those grieving their own dads or their children’s dads. Whether your relationship was close, strained or somewhere in between, this day can stir up more than most people realize. There are a lot of different types of Father’s Day grief. It’s complicated for sure.

What is something you can do? Sometimes it’s the smallest things that carry the deepest connection. In our house, my husband drinks from a coffee cup that Nick gave him. He does it on these special days. It’s quiet and simple, but it matters. That cup holds love. Memory. Presence. Maybe this is a good week to pull out something they gave you, something they touched, something they loved or you think they would love. Hold it. Use it. Let it remind you they’re still part of you.

Want some extra support or a place to just be during this week leading up to Father’s Day? Join in the Men’s Zoom Meeting on Monday, The NE Revs Game on Saturday or a Special Father’s Day Zoom gathering next Sunday.

Watch more: Father’s Day Grief with David Kessler

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MONTHLY CALENDAR

You can view the new calendar here. This is where you will get the zoom links and location information! I’ve made a short tutorial for how to find the meeting & event info using a laptop or desktop. Watch that here. NEW: You can also download it as an app on your phone or ipad. Learn more here or watch here.

THIS WEEK’S MEETINGS UPDATES

• Men’s group is meeting on Monday 6/9/25 due to Fishing Trip.

• Extra Grieving Grandparents on Thursday 6/12/25.

• Kingston MA in-person cancelled this month.

NEW MEETING ALERT

Announcing a new peer grief support group specifically for People in Recovery in TAUNTON MA. This in-person group welcomes anyone 18+ who identifies as being in recovery from any substance, including alcohol who has experienced the death of someone they care about due to substance use related causes.

Location: The Taunton Peer Recovery Center

1 Washington St Taunton MA
When: Third Monday of each month (Starts 6/16/25)

Time: 2:00-3:30pm ET

Facilitator: Carol Bowers

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

The Sun Will Rise Night at the New England Revolution Soccer Game! June 14, 2025 7:30 PM Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA. Free game plus a $ free t-shirt and a $25 gift card to Gillette Stadium for mechandise and food. All ages are welcome! Join us at Gillette Stadium to watch the New England Revolution take on their opponents FC Cincinnati! The event is free to you, but to secure your spot, please RESERVE YOUR TICKETS HERE. Questions? Please email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

Father’s Day Zoom June 15, 2025 8:00 pm ET Special Father’s Day evening zoom facilitated by Don Lipstein.

NEW VIRTUAL EVENT! Exploring Loss Through Mindful Doodling June 19, 2025 7:00 pm ET Grief is a complex, personal journey and sometimes words aren’t enough to capture the emotions we experience. Join us to discover the peaceful art of doodling combined with some writing prompts as a way to gently process grief.  In this guided session where we’ll use simple, creative exercises to bring feelings to life on paper, finding comfort and clarity in the process. The act of doodling, often spontaneous and free, will serve as a form of meditation, helping to release tension, quiet the mind, and foster self-compassion. This is also an opportunity to write about a person, animal, relationship, or place that we miss in a supportive group session. No previous art experience is needed. This workshop focuses on personal expression, not artistic skill, and offers a safe, non-judgmental space to honor your emotions. Presented by Cara Bean, cartoonist, art educator and author of Here I Am, I Am Me. REGISTER HERE!

NEW EVENT! Pot Luck Picnic Sunday June 29, 2025 12:00 pm. Walpole MA Join us for an enjoyable day in nature at Francis William Bird Park. We will enjoy a relaxed afternoon in the sun or shade at this lovely country park setting, boasting 2 ponds, paved walking paths, picnic tables, bridges and a playground. We ask that each person or small group bring a dish for the picnic. A salad, chips, main course, or dessert. It could be your person’s favorite food! Bring lawn chairs or a blanket for sitting as there is a limited amount of seating at the picnic tables. We will have outdoor games available for group activities.  We’ll also walk the paths as a group or individuals if we choose and “Call Their Names” and share our stories. Bring yourself, your family, your dog (with leash), children, grandchildren, friends. Dress for a day at the park. Take bug spray. We will supply drinks and water and plates, utensils, etc. If you play a guitar, bring it! Register to let us know what you are bringing.

FEEDBACK NEEDED FOR OUR IOAD EVENT

Please complete this quick 5 question survey about the annual International Overdose Awareness Ceremony to be held in Braintree MA. Survey closes 6/10/25.

Men’s BBQ

The 2nd Annual Men’s BBQ hosted by Gilly’s House was a great day of good food, cornhole and companionship! Speakers, David Swindell, Glen Lord & David Gillmeister shared their stories of finding hope while living with grief. We are always proud to sponsor this event!

COMMUNITY VISITS

A fabulous visit by Leslie Lagos & Franklin Cook to Core Recovery Center in Gloucester. We have now two grief groups at this location! One facilitated by Gordon & Colleen Bullard, for anyone 18+ and one facilitated by Melissa Lezynski & Rebecca Murray for People in Recovery.

OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS LISTENING SESSION

You are invited to an upcoming Listening Session on Thursday, June 12th from 5-7:30 pm where you can share how you’d like the state to spend its portion of the Opioid Settlement Funds. This meeting, one in a series of regional listening sessions, will take place in Plymouth and virtually. You’ll have an opportunity to learn about the settlement agreement and then provide comment. Register here or drop in. This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard.

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? CLICK HERE

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 6/1/25

Finding What You Need, When You Need It

Grief can make it hard to plan. Hard to remember. Hard to show up. We know that. Some days you need connection. Some days you need quiet. And some days, you just want to know what’s happening without having to dig for it. That’s why we’ve created a new calendar page where all of our support group meetings, zoom links, flyers, events and activities live in one simple place. You can check it by day, week, or month. Whatever feels most manageable. It’s easy to use and updated regularly.

You can view the new calendar here. This is where you will get the zoom links!

I’ve made a short tutorial for how to find the meeting & event info. Watch that here.

We hope this helps make it just a little easier to find support on the days when everything feels like too much. Take a look. Bookmark it. And if you see anything missing or confusing, just reach out.

Read more about why having a support system and plaaning ahead can be beneficial in coping with grief.

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

MEETINGS UPDATES

• THE TAUNTON MA REGULAR MEETING IS CANCELLED GOING FORWARD. REPLACED BY NEW BROCKTON MA MEETING

NEW MEETING ALERTS

Announcing a new general in-person peer grief support group starting this week in Brockton, MA, for anyone 18+ who has experienced the death of someone they care about due to substance use related causes.

Location: Stairway to Recovery, 90 Main Street
When: First Wednesday of each month
Time: 7:00–8:00 PM ET

Facilitator: Sandra Chase

Please join this new safe, compassionate space to connect and share!

We’re also launching a new peer grief support group specifically for People in Recovery in GLOUCESTER MA. This in-person group welcomes anyone 18+ who identifies as being in recovery from any substance, including alcohol who has experienced the death of someone they care about due to substance use related causes.

Location: Core Peer Recovery & Resource Center, 11–15 Parker St
When: Third Monday of each month (Starts 6/16/25)

Time:10:30–11:30 AM ET

Facilitators: Melissa Lezynski & Rebecca Murray

No judgment. No expectations. Come as you are.

MEET THE NEW PEOPLE IN RECOVERY FACILITATORS

Rebecca Murray is the Programming & Membership Coordinator at Core Peer Recovery. From Rebecca: I have a deep interest in helping and supporting others in recovery who are also struggling with grief of their own, as I am both in long term recovery, and have lost many people in my life to overdose.The one person I really "do it all for" today, who continues to inspire me to support my community and take care of myself, too, is my ex husband and best friend, Mick. Mick was my rock, my confidant, and always helped to keep me grounded and grateful. He was also my biggest source of laughter! Although our marriage had not worked out, our friendship certainly did. We shared a beautiful black lab, Gussie, and lived onto two houses apart from each other. Mick still came over for birthdays and holidays and remained very much a part of my family and was definitely loved like family. We spoke nearly every day. Mick was in long term recovery; he had even celebrated 17 years of abstinence. I was so honored and touched to be a part of that. Somewhere along the way, Mick had lost touch with his recovery and picked up substances again to attempt to cope with some difficult things in his life. Despite being a total force and one of the most intelligent people I'd known, he lost his battle with addiction in June of 2023. I will never have another friend like Mick and am grateful every day that he was put in my life. Still, the grief has been totally debilitating at times. Addiction and overdose are capable of shaking any group, any family, and any person. I truly believe that we are all worthy and deserving of support in getting better and in processing our very real grief and emotions. Humans are built for connection, we thrive in feeling connected, cared for and listened to, and in knowing this I feel so lucky to be able to be a part of that connection today.

Melissa Lezynski is a Peer Grief Specialist & RIZE HR Project Manager at Peer Support Community Partners. From Melissa: Although I have always felt called to serve the marginalized populations working with people experiencing SUD, homelessness, poverty etc... I do what I do now in loving memory of my Beloved Son Sean Steven who we lost to an overdose August 13th, 2023. Sean was my only son and truly such a part of my soul I am no longer whole. I knew if I was going to survive this, I would have to change what I was doing for work. I had to immerse myself in the world of grief because I truly had no room for anything else. Having a peer grief support group for anyone who considers themselves in recovery (whatever that means for you) has been on my to do list since Sean died. Grief had such an impact on him when he lost his grandmother at 11 years old. There was no support for him, and I was just a young mom who did what I could, but he needed more. Grief continued to pile up for him and all of us as overdose deaths rose and demolished his classmates and our family. We lost 2 of my nephews before Sean as well as a cousin and so many others. I didn't know there was a place where grief was welcome. I'm so grateful to have found this world of peer grief support when I didn't think I could make it another minute. That gratitude extends to the honor of starting this "Come as you are" group. Sean never cared what you were wearing, what you looked like, what you had. If you needed help, he helped. If he couldn't, he asked me to. So, it is such an honor to create a space where folks can come and share their grief journey without stigma, judgement or conditions. Just show up. We all need to be seen and heard just as we are.

FEEDBACK NEEDED FOR OUR IOAD EVENT

Please complete this quick 5 question survey about the annual International Overdose Awareness Ceremony to be held in Braintree MA. Survey closes 6/10/25.

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Gilly’s House is hosting it’s second annual Men’s BBQ, Sunday June 8th 1:00 pm ET Wrentham MA. This is for any man, bereaved due to substance use related causes or suicide. Sign up here. Scroll down on the sign up form for an available spot. Any questions, please reach out to Maureen Cappuccino maureen@gillyshouse.com or Dave Swindell at david@thesunwillrise.org Please share with any men who you think may benefit being around other men who understand.

The Sun Will Rise Night at the New England Revolution Soccer Game! June 14, 2025 7:30 PM Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA. Limit 5 tickets per family. All ages are welcome! We are excited to invite you to a special evening at Gillette Stadium to watch the New England Revolution take on their opponents FC Cincinnati! The event is free to you, but to secure your spot, please RESERVE YOUR TICKETS HERE. As with previous events, we are requiring a $20 deposit to hold your tickets. You will receive the full amount back in cash at the event. Please note that if you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the ticket is non-refundable and you will not receive your deposit back. This policy helps us continue to offer events like this at no cost to you. Thank you for your understanding. Questions? Please email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

June 15, 2025 8:00 pm ET Father’s Day Zoom Mark your calendars for a special Father’s Day evening zoom facilitated by Don Lipstein.

OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS LISTENING SESSION

You are invited to an upcoming Listening Session on Thursday, June 12th from 5-7:30 pm where you can share how you’d like the state to spend its portion of the Opioid Settlement Funds. This meeting, one in a series of regional listening sessions, will take place in Plymouth and virtually. You’ll have an opportunity to learn about the settlement agreement and then provide comment. Register here or drop in. This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard.

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

LOOKING FOR THE ZOOM LINKS & MEETING INFO? GO BACK TO THE FIRST SECTION FOR INFO ABOUT THE NEW WAY TO ACCESS THEM! YOU WILL USE THE MEETING CALENDAR PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE GOING FORWARD.

https://www.thesunwillrise.org/meetingcalendar

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

Click here to view past newsletters on our website

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org

Week of 5/25/25

Grief humor…

Grief is weird. It can knock you flat one minute and then, somehow, make you laugh the next. I still remember someone asking me very early on if I had thought about “channeling my grief into yoga.” I hadn’t showered in a week and was eating a saltines over the sink as my only meal of the day. I remember I said something like, “Right after I start breathing with intention and stop primal screaming in the shower.” It was sarcastic and dark. And it made me laugh. The person looked at me and I don’t know if they knew what to think. But somehow that weird humor helped me a little. If you’ve ever laughed at something you think you shouldn’t have or found comfort in a meme that made you snort, you aren’t alone. Sometimes laughter is the release that gets helps us get through.

A little dark humor for anyone who wants to read more.

~ With care

Robyn

Robyn Houston-Bean

Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation

WEEKLY CALENDAR~ZOOM LINKS BELOW

THE CARE & COMPASSION WERE FELT THIS WEEK

Just a few of the special moments people sent in. Thanks for taking a moment to see the awe and wonder and to remember.

FEEDBACK NEEDED FOR OUR IOAD EVENT

Please complete this quick 5 question survey about the annual International Overdose Awareness Ceremony to be held in Braintree MA.

THE SUN WILL RISE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE COMMUNITY

UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

SADOD’s psychoeducational workshop, Holistic Healing for Grief, Tuesday, May 27th, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM ZOOM. In this workshop, Jean Bradley, reiki master, energy medicine practitioner and bereaved person, will discuss her experiences incorporating reiki, reflexology, and the use of essential oils in her grief journey and how these have helped her. This workshop will provide an overview on what these practices are and how one might get started. Please note that none of these practices will be formally conducted in this educational workshop. Register at bit.ly/holistic-healing-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org

Gilly’s House is hosting it’s second annual Men’s BBQ, Sunday June 8th 1:00 pm ET Wrentham MA. This is for any man, bereaved due to substance use related causes or suicide. Sign up here. Scroll down on the sign up form for an available spot. Any questions, please reach out to Maureen Cappuccino maureen@gillyshouse.com or Dave Swindell at david@thesunwillrise.org Please share with any men who you think may benefit being around other men who understand.

The Sun Will Rise Night at the New England Revolution Soccer Game! June 14, 2025 7:30 PM Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA. We have 50 tickets available for our group! 5 tickets per family. All ages are welcome! We are excited to invite you to a special evening at Gillette Stadium to watch the New England Revolution take on their opponents FC Cincinnati! This is a fantastic opportunity to come together, connect with others and enjoy a thrilling soccer game. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to the sport, this event promises to be a fun and exciting outing for all ages.A huge thanks to the generocity of the Highland Street Foundation for this wonderful opportunity! The event is free to you, but to secure your spot, please RESERVE YOUR TICKETS HERE. As with previous events, we are requiring a $20 deposit to hold your tickets. You will receive the full amount back in cash at the event. Please note that if you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days' notice, the ticket is non-refundable and you will not receive your deposit back. This policy helps us continue to offer events like this at no cost to you. Thank you for your understanding. Questions? Please email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

June 15, 2025 8:00 pm ET Father’s Day Zoom Mark your calendars for a special Father’s Day evening zoom facilitated by Don Lipstein.

OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS LISTENING SESSION

You are invited to an upcoming Listening Session on Thursday, June 12th from 5-7:30 pm where you can share how you’d like the state to spend its portion of the Opioid Settlement Funds. This meeting, one in a series of regional listening sessions, will take place in Plymouth and virtually. You’ll have an opportunity to learn about the settlement agreement and then provide comment. Register here or drop in. This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard.

HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND

Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.

MEETINGS UPDATES

• MONDAY 7:00 PM ET REGULAR ZOOM CANCELLED DUE TO HOLIDAY

• MONDAY 9:00 PM ET REGULAR ZOOM IS MEETING THIS WEEK

• FAITH BASED HOPE AFTER LOSS CANCELLED DUE TO HOLIDAY

• SUNDAY IN-PERSON MOVING FORWARD PARENT MEETING IN N. ATTLEBORO CANCELLED

• NEW CALENDAR FORMAT COMING FOR JUNE!

THIS WEEK’S MEETING INFORMATION

Monday - LATE EVENING PEER GRIEF SUPPORT ZOOM - 5/26/25 9-10:30 ET.

Randi Schalet facilitating.

For anyone 18 and over who has experienced the death of someone they care about due to substance use.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/94390650873?pwd=QCnk9cqJwOQvs2u2jkUPRgXUpFT5D7.1

Meeting ID: 943 9065 0873

Passcode: 578972

One tap mobile 13126266799

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Tuesday - IN-PERSON, BRIDGEWATER, MA 5/27/25 6:30-8:00 pm ET.

Natalie Patricio facilitating.

Trinity Episcopal Church 91 Main St Bridgewater MA

For anyone 18 and over who has experienced the death of someone they care about due to substance use.

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Tuesday - MEN’S ONLY - ZOOM 5/27/25 7:00-8:30 pm ET. 

Dave Swindell and Gary Carter facilitating. 

For men 18 and over who have experienced the death of someone they care about due to substance use.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/96961980647?pwd=cFVTMHR3VE9COGc3UGdIZHo4TWVaZz09#success

Meeting ID: 969 6198 0647

Password: 300626 or One tap mobile 16465588656

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Tuesday - PARTNER & SPOUSE - ZOOM 5/27/25 7:00-8:30 pm ET. 

Kar-Kate Parenteau facilitating. 

For anyone 18 and over who has experienced the death of a partner, spouse or significant other due to substance use.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86578435343?pwd=avNFpCQpiLGCsKRKFEsexJj7E87gM5.1

Meeting ID: 865 7843 5343

Passcode: 287422 or

One tap mobile: 13052241968

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Tuesday - LEARNING TO COPE WITH GRIEF MEETING - IN-PERSON & ZOOM, GLOUCESTER, MA  5/27/25 7:00-8:00 pm ET. 

Melissa Lezynski (filling in for Colleen and Gordon Bullard) facilitating. 

CORE Peer Recovery and Resource Center 11 - 15 Parker Street, Gloucester, MA

For anyone 18 and over who has experienced the death of someone they care about due to substance use.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83349371338?pwd=RXM5RnRINGJKL21HTFhiSVYyR1NCdz09

Meeting ID: 833 4937 1338

Passcode: 560270

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Wednesday - PEOPLE IN RECOVERY - ZOOM 5/28/25 6:00-7:30 pm ET. 

Leslie Lagos facilitating. 

For anyone 18 and over who identifies as being in recovery from any substance including alcohol who has experienced the death of someone they care about due to substance use.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86324167889?pwd=nrGKjzkr7MyLBnQBfLoUj9Sc43O1r6.1

Meeting ID: 863 2416 7889

Passcode: 428961

One tap mobile 13052241968

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Wednesday - IN-PERSON, EAST BOSTON, MA 5/28/25 7:00-8:30 pm ET. 

Rose Stone facilitating. 

Recovery on the Harbor, 983 Bennington Street, East Boston, MA.  

For anyone 18 and over who has experienced the death of someone they care about due to substance use.

CLICK HERE FOR FUTURE MEETING DATES

Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!

Join our private Facebook page.

Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!

To view past newsletters on our website, please enter the password: grief

“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean

thesunwillrise.org