As you choose to attend or not attend International Overdose Awareness Day events this week, know that we at The Sun Will Rise will be thinking of you. This week can be extremely emotional and overwhelming so please reach out if you need more support. Rituals of remembrance like IOAD give grief somewhere to go, so that’s why we invite you to join The Sun Will Rise Foundation, the Town of Braintree, The Braintree Community Partnership, the Town of Weymouth and the Weymouth Prevention Alliance as we come together to for International Overdose Awareness Day. This evening is an opportunity to remember those who have died due to substance use-related causes while standing alongside others who understand the lasting impact of these deaths. We will gather at Pond Meadow Park for a remembrance ceremony where participants will be invited to take part in our glow stick ceremony. This is a meaningful ceremony that honors the lives of those we carry in our hearts and reminds us that their light continues to shine. Stay for just the ceremony or walk with us, carrying our own handmade illuminated memorial lanterns, around Pond Meadow. Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026 Location: Pond Meadow Park Braintree MA: picnic area/fishing dock, Braintree entrance. We will have people directing you to parking locations and rides to the ceremony location. Handicap parking will be directly at the ceremony location. See map below. Time: Ceremony will start at 6:00 pm so please leave enought time to get inside the park to the ceremony location.
Memorial lanterns that you created during our Lantern Making Workshops are encouraged but not required.
A limited number of lanterns will be available at the event while supplies last.
The walking route around the pond is approximately 2 miles, but we will not walk the full route. Shorter options will be available. The terrain, on a paved path, is mostly flat, but has some steeper sections. Rides back to the parking will be available only on the Braintree side.
Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress appropriately for the weather.
Rain date is 9/3/26.
Families and friends are welcome.
Registration is appreciated to help us plan for attendance.
These rituals do not make grief easier or provide closure. It gives us a way to carry it together. Read more: Why Rituals Help Us Mourn…and Heal
~Robyn
Robyn Houston-Bean
Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation
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Please check the calendar before you drive to an in-person group…last-minute changes can happen. If it is not listed on the monthly calendar, it is cancelled for that date.
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MEETING CHANGES THIS WEEK
NATICK MA group cancelled this month. NEWLY BEREAVED/NEW to TSWR group moved to Wednesday this week.
10 YEAR CELEBRATION! OUR LARGEST FUNDRAISER IN YEARS! Please help keep our peer grief support free!
Buy your tickets now! On October 3, 2026 we'll gather for a very special evening as we celebrate 10 years of The Sun Will Rise Foundation, recognize Cheryl Juaire's incredible contributions as she retires and look ahead to this new chapter together as Team Sharing & The Sun Will Rise merge. We would love for you to be there!
Sponsor, Donate or Add a Tribute in Memory of Your Person. There are many meaningful ways to be part of this special evening. Become a sponsor, make a donation or place a tribute in our program in memory of someone you love. Your support helps ensure that people bereaved due to substance use-related causes never have to grieve alone.
ANNOUNCING LOW DIGIT PLATE AUCTION! Bid on a Low-Number Overdose Awareness Plate Our online auction for Massachusetts Overdose Awareness plates 1–99 is now open! These plates have not been available to the public until now! Bid on a meaningful number while supporting TSWR’s free peer grief support for people bereaved due to substance use-related causes. And yes, if you already have a higher digit plate and want to bid on one of these you are eligible! Most plates start at a $500 bid. Certain single digit numbers are higher. Auction closes 10/3/26!
HERE IS SOME OF WHAT HAPPENED AT TSWR RECENTLY!
We held our last lantern-making workshops. They all came out so different and beautiful! These lanterns will shine during our International Overdose Awareness Day Lantern Walk on August 27, 2026. If you didn’t get a chance to attend one of the workshops, you can watch this video to see how they are made or you can view instructions here.
Thanks to all the volunteers who assisted in putting up the Braintree & Weymouth IOAD Memorial Flags.
We brought lunch to the Community Meeting at Stairway to Recovery and shared all of TSWR & SADOD grief support resources.
Members of the Men’s group attended and shared our resources at the Easthampton IOAD event.
UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
August 25th 6:30 - 8:00 pm ET Peer Support Community Partners’ August psychoeducational workshop Finding Supportive Community While Grieving. Explore the many ways support can look while grieving, including peer support groups, one-on-one connection, professional counseling, community spaces, online support, and everyday relationship-building. REGISTER HERE 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. Non-MA residents, if cost is an issue, use promo code SCHOLARSHIP to register for free. Contact Laura@@peersupportcommunitypartners.com
International Overdose Awareness Day Lantern Walk & Glowstick Remembrance Thursday August 27th, 2026 6:00 pm ET Braintree MA Join The Sun Will Rise Foundation, the Town of Braintree, The Braintree Community Partnership, the Town of Weymouth and the Weymouth Prevention Alliance as we come together to honor International Overdose Awareness Day. This evening is an opportunity to remember those who have died due to substance use-related causes while standing alongside others who understand the lasting impact of these deaths. We will gather at Pond Meadow Park for a remembrance ceremony where participants will be invited to take part in our glow stick ceremony. This is a meaningful ceremony that honors the lives of those we carry in our hearts and reminds us that their light continues to shine. Stay for just the ceremony or walk with us, carrying our own handmade illuminated memorial lanterns, around Pond Meadow. Together we remember. Register here. There will not be a separate Braintree butterfly release this year or a Weymouth vigil. Questions? Contact robyn@thesunwillrise.org
WOOSOX IOAD EVENT/GAME Saturday, August 29th, from 2:00-4:00 pm Polar Park Worcester MA. Resource tables from SADOD, The Sun Will Rise, Learn to Cope, Everyday Miracles, End Overdose Boston, City of Worcester Health and Human Services, the YMCA, and more will be available outside at 2:00 pm, then move to the inside concourse during the game. Speakers will share personal stories between 2-3:15, followed by a butterfly release. The on-field ceremony, where loved ones will be honored, will take place around 3:30 - 3:45 pm. Doors open at 2:30 pm. Come together with the community to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and remember that they lived. $5 from each ticket purchased through this LINK will be donated to The Sun Will Rise Foundation. Order your tickets today!!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! HELP PREPARE FOR IOAD BOSTON, QUINCY & WALPOLE MA
Volunteers needed in Walpole MA on Monday, August 24, 2026 at 4:00 pm at 32 Common St Walpole, MA and in Quincy MA on Tuesday , September 1, 2026 at 1:00 pm and 85 Quincy Ave, Quincy MA
BOSTON Sign up to volunteer to plant memorial flags on the Boston Common.
A SAMPLE OF UPCOMING MEMORIALS & VIGILS AROUND MA
There are so many remembrance events happening this month. Like this Gloucester MA one. If you have a flyer you would like to share for your event, email it to robyn@thesunwillrise.org.
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.
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.
Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!
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Want to volunteer for The Sun Will Rise? Sign up here!
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“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean