Flower ceremony marks 10th overdose awareness vigil at Rotary Park

LACONIA — Navigating Recovery of the Lakes Region hosted the 10th annual vigil for International Overdose Awareness Day in Rotary Park on Monday night. Hundreds of people attended, including those whose loved ones died from an overdose, survivors, and dozens offering resources for people experiencing addiction and substance use disorder.

“Overdose vigils are about celebrating the people that we lost, as well as remembering them. But, it's also about creating community, and letting people know that they're not alone,” said Daisy Pierce, executive director of Navigating Recovery. 

Resources from organizations throughout New Hampshire were set up on tables in the park, representatives speaking with attendees about what their programs offer. Many tables had physical resources, like Narcan, emergency first aid kits, and composition books to encourage both physical and mental recovery.

Sara Bouvier, family support specialist and kinship navigator at Archways, attended the vigil for the first time this year.

“The reason events like this are in place is so that people know that they have places to go, and there's people that believe in them. They have places that have outreach and they have support. And the stigma, hopefully one day with all of us coming together, we can get rid of it,” Bouvier said.

Lama Naomh Tomas, an ordained Buddhist Monk, former board member of Navigating Recovery, and former spiritual director of Riverbank House, attended the vigil. This was the seventh overdose awareness event he attended in the last two weeks, speaking throughout Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire.

Tomas himself is in recovery. His son died after a fentanyl overdose in 2018. Tomas used opioids and heroin for 43 years, while his son used it for a year and a half before he died.

Tomas urged people to vote in the upcoming elections, noting the current administration has cut harm reduction programs across the country.

“There is no fairness about this. So, make your voice heard. Make your voice heard today. Make your voice heard when you get a chance to vote. We're worth it. We're worth saving.”

“Tonight, I want you guys to really take a chance to listen to each other. And whatever emotions come out, they're OK,” Pierce told the audience. “You can grieve, you can be sad, you can be mad, you can be joyful. We're here to remember those we've lost, but also to look forward to the future and hope.”

Photos of loved ones who died from overdose and addiction were displayed along the railing overlooking the Winnipesaukee River. Family and friends ended the night with a flower ceremony. Everyone received a single white flower, representing a loved one, which were then tossed into the river.

Dawn Longval, co-founder of Isaiah 61 Cafe, sang songs of hope.

It was a particularly special night for Isaiah 61 Cafe founders. Co-founder David Longval said Rotary Park was the “birthplace” of their outreach program, supporting people in Laconia struggling with homelessness. Before the opening of the shelter, Longval said they brought sandwiches to the park, and met people there. Now, they have become regulars at the annual vigil, aiming to give those in need hope and purpose.

One Peer to Another was another non-clinical organization in Laconia represented at the event, extending support and services to those struggling with addiction or substance use disorder.

“All of the staff have lived experience, so I’m in recovery myself,” said Erika Whitcomb, outreach coordinator at One Peer to Another.

The organization offers wellness programs such as mindful journaling, affirmations, creative writing, art classes, and coffee hours, along with monthly field trips, for those in recovery. This month, they will travel to Stone Mountain Farm, in Belmont, for apple picking.

Representatives of the Lakes Region Community Services Family Resource Center, in Laconia, attended the vigil for their fourth year. They supplied attendees with resources on building a future for themselves and their families through practical skills and courses.

“We have a couple parenting journey and recovery classes,” said Amanda Lewis, family support specialist and kinship navigator at Lakes Region Community Services. “We work with Laconia Housing, and we're working on doing a financial class, so that we can help build the budgeting skills, and help them become better tenants and prepare them.”

Before family and friends released their flowers down the river, Rev. Eliza Tweedy, from the Congregational Church of Laconia, offered a prayer.

“May we step back into our daily lives with thanks for all of the hands that have held ours along the way. For the families by blood or by choice that have never given up on us. For the strangers who have saved us all time and again with the little kindnesses we didn't know we needed.”

“Recovery is just a practice. That's all it is. I don't count the days, I make the days count. This is my life. I serve a community of people that are just like us,” Tomas told the crowd. “The first 15 years of my life, I practiced sobriety without knowing it. And for the last 16 years, I've been practicing sobriety knowing it. And my life is so much better now.”