Purple ribbon campaign underway for International Overdose Awareness Day

A campaign is underway in Grande Prairie to raise awareness for those struggling with drugs and those lost to overdose.
 
Purple ribbons are being tied to trees or poles leading up to International Overdose Awareness Day. Leader with Moms Stop the Harm, Tyla Savard is encouraging people to take pictures of them and post them to social media with #PurpleRibbon.
 
“Purple is the colour of recovery. Throughout downtown, down at Muskoseepi Park and such, we have purple ribbons in honour of and awareness for the event but also, identify those that are struggling and those lost to overdoses.”
 
Purple bracelets are also being distributed throughout the community that have “Somebody’s Someone” and “Time To Act” written on them.
 
“We want to end stigma. We want everyone to have that understanding that everyone has their challenges in life. I think there is a saying, ‘don’t judge me by the chapter that you walked in on, I have multiple chapters to my book’. (We) just want people to have that understanding because we all have those good days and bad days.”
 
An awareness march will be held on Wednesday with people meeting at the HIV North office on 102 Street. Participants will make posters and walk to the Muskoseepi Amphitheatre. A BBQ will be held at 5:30 p.m. followed by presentations from people with lived experience.
 
To ensure that more people could attend the event, the activities were moved from August 31 to be held on August 29.
 
For more information contact Savard at 780-897-4875 or HIV North.