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.