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