As part of International Overdose Awareness Day, atTAcK addiction will host public events in Georgetown and Newark to remember the thousands of lives lost in Delaware to the opioid epidemic, and to provide resources and support to the public.

atTAcK addiction’s Sussex County Chapter will hold its event at 7 p.m. Aug. 27 at The Circle in Georgetown. The Chapter invites the community to come together to commemorate the lives lost to overdose, to share messages of remembrance, healing and hope, and to be offered local resources and support. For more information, contact amy.rust@attackaddiction.org or dawn.hess-fischer@attackaddiction.org.

atTAcK addiction’s New Castle County Chapter will host a candlelight vigil at Main Street and Old College Avenue in Newark from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Aug. 28. The Chapter will also provide resources and support to the public, including about Delaware’s 911/Good Samaritan Law. For more information, contact jill.fredel@attackaddiction.org or info@attackaddiction.org.

International Overdose Awareness Day is the largest annual campaign to end overdose, to remember those who have died from overdose, and to acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. atTAcK addiction is a grassroots statewide nonprofit founded by Don and Jeanne Keister who lost their adult son, Tyler, to an accidental overdose in 2012.

“Since 2012, more than 4,200 people in Delaware have lost their lives to overdose. During International Overdose Awareness Day – and throughout the year - we honor and remember those lives, and the impact that those losses have had on family, friends and the entire Delaware community,” said Don Keister, co-founder of atTAcK addiction.

“We are grateful that Delaware saw the first decrease in overdose deaths last year, and we join many other organizations, government agencies and treatment providers in working to continue that trend. We encourage the public to join us at our vigils and outreach events in Georgetown and Newark.”

To learn more about atTAcK addiction, visit atTAcKaddiction.org, call 302-365-5221, or visit its Resource Center at 210 Peoples Plaza Newark.