BLACKWOOD, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — An annual vigil at Blackwood’s Timber Creek Park Wednesday night spread a message of hope to people fighting substance use disorder and remembered those lost to the disease.
Purple lights lit up the park, and many attendees wore purple clothing or T-shirts that featured the faces of their loved ones who died from an overdose. A slideshow shared the names and photos of people who have died.
Since 2014, Camden County has hosted this vigil to give families a place to find peace and to offer a message of hope for people still fighting addiction.
“I come here every year, every year in memory of her,” said Louise Brooks, who lost her daughter in August 2019.
Her family sat on a blanket near dozens of others as they listened to a handful of speakers, including former NBA All-Star Jayson Williams. He founded Rebound, a substance abuse therapy program, and spoke of his own experience — one that is no stranger to addiction.
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“I’ve watched people die. I’ve watched people get better. I’ve watched families suffer, because that’s what addiction does. It’s not just about the people who are actually addicted. It’s what rips away the core of the family,” he said.
Camden County Commissioner Jonathan Young told the crowd that “we are not alone” in this difficult path and experience of grief. He said the county has been working for a decade to find solutions to fight the epidemic locally while trying to change the stigma surrounding addiction.
“We’re starting to make a curve, but it’s not enough, right? So we need to do more,” he said. “Every year, we come here to this beautiful park and just pay remembrance to those we have lost to make sure that we continue to remember them and that we continue to fight.”
In 2022, the CDC reported more than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdose.
“We’re with you,” Young added. “We’re here. We have a shoulder for you to lean on. If you want to cry, you can cry with us. We have help anywhere.”