When a parent dies due to alcohol or other substances, the relationship doesn’t suddenly become simple. Maybe you are furious with them. Maybe you spent years waiting for them to choose you, keep a promise or become the parent you needed. Maybe you had to grow up too soon, cover for them or keep your distance just to protect yourself. Or maybe your parent was your person. You knew they were struggling, but you also knew the funny, loving and generous person underneath it. Now you are angry at the substance use, angry at what it took from both of you and angry that love wasn’t enough to keep them here. Maybe you miss them one day and feel relieved that the chaos is over the next. Then you feel guilty for even thinking that. Death doesn’t erase what happened. It doesn’t fix the relationship. This week, our Death of a Parent grief support meeting, on Wednesday 8/12/26, is a place to say the things you may not feel comfortable saying anywhere else. You can love your parent and still be angry with them. You can miss them and still be hurt by them. You can grieve who they were, who they could have been and what you never got to have. Bring the whole messy truth. We can talk about it.
~Robyn
Robyn Houston-Bean
Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation
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MEETING CHANGES THIS WEEK
NATHAN’S CIRCLE WEST BARNSTABLE regular meeting cancelled this week. Having a closed IOAD event.
PEOPLE IN RECOVERY MEETING cancelled 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 hope you'll join us.
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 4th lantern-making event at Thayer Public Library, people together to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind lanterns in memory of those we carry with us. Each lantern will shine during our International Overdose Awareness Day Lantern Walk on August 27. The Quincy MA in-person workshop still has a few openings and the newly added Braintree MA workshop does as well. If you can’t make those, join us at our virtual workshop, details below.
We kicked off our International Overdose Awareness Day tabling events this week at Stairway to Recovery in Brockton. Helping people know that there is grief support available is such an important task!
It was a hot one today, but such a beautiful afternoon picking our own flowers at the Cross St Flower Farm! Hummingbirds and butterflies joined us flying around the gorgeous blooms, making the day feel even more special. Join us at one of our next events where we build community!
UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
NEW IN-PERSON WORKSHOP ADDED! Create a memorial lantern in memory or honor of someone you care about as we prepare for the Braintree/Weymouth MA International Overdose Awareness Day Lantern Walk & Glowstick Ceremony at Pond Meadow Park on 8/27/26. Each lantern created during these workshops can be carried or displayed during our IOAD Lantern Walk & Glow Stick Ceremony, where we will come together as a community to remember those who have died due to substance use related causes and support one another in hope and healing. Questions? robyn@thesunwillrise.org
New workshop added!
8/10/26 1:00 pm A New Way Recovery Quincy MA REGISTER HERE.
NEW 8/19/26 6:30 pm Braintree Town Hall Braintree MA REGISTER HERE
8/20/26 6:30 pm ET Virtual. Zoom Link. List of materials that you will need.
Renew, Refresh, Reset Grief Retreat for Bereaved Parents Date: August 14-16, 2026. All spots filled. Questions about the retreat? Contact Cheryl Juaire Cherju4339@aol.com
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. Make a lantern to carry at one of our workshops! 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!!
MEET THE NEW CO-FACILITATORS FOR THE MEN’S GROUPS
Meet Michael Simon: “I’m a retired prosthodontist with 35 years of clinical experience, a Certified Peer Grief Educator, and an advocate for addiction awareness and grief support. I found The Sun Will Rise Foundation just two months after the loss of my 26-year-old son, and the support I received, especially through the men's group, became an important part of my healing. I’m honored to co-facilitate a new men's support group so I can help others find the same sense of connection and hope. I’m also the author of the upcoming memoir A Private Storm, which explores my son’s life, addiction, and the science behind why people struggling with addiction often don't ask for help. Through my writing and public speaking, I hope to educate, reduce stigma, and help prevent other families from experiencing this kind of loss.”
Meet Paul Cooperstein: I joined the TSWR men’s group shortly after my 31 year old son Adam passed on from fentanyl poisoning in 2022. The men’s group has provided comfort and compassion in a way that I have not found anywhere else along this journey. I have found peace and acceptance listening to the journeys, trials and tribulations of the other men and sharing my emotions and process with them. After 3 years in the group I answered Dave Swindell’s call to become a peer group facilitator. I retired from a career in law several years ago and have done group facilitation in corporate settings for years and currently facilitates a social group. My partner and I live in Milton, MA and enjoy travelling the world, cooking and gardening.
HELP US PREPARE FOR IOAD & A SAMPLE OF UPCOMING MEMORIALS & VIGILS AROUND MA
Volunteers Needed in Braintree Wednesday August 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM Braintree Town Hall 1 JFK Memorial Drive, Braintree, MA. We’re looking for volunteers to help install 978 purple remembrance flags along the fence outside Braintree Town Hall. Each flag represents a Massachusetts resident who died due to overdose in 2025. We'll be zip-tying the flags to the fence… all materials are provided. Removal: Wednesday, September 2 at 5:00 PM: Help is also needed to respectfully take down the display. These flags reflect the most recent overdose from the state. Bring a friend and be part of this meaningful tribute. Every hand helps. No sign up, just arrive at requested time. Questions? Email robyn@thesunwillrise.org
BOSTON Sign up to volunteer to plant memorial flags on the Boston Common.
There are so many remembrance events happening this month. Like this Quincy 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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“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean