GUELPH – Fundraising efforts have resumed toward a memorial in remembrance of community members whose lives have been lost to drug poisoning.
The Pathways to Remembering Project, which is led by the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy and several community partners, will build a memorial in a public park that will remember lives lost, and bring attention to the drug-toxicity crisis that continues to impact our community.
“The memorial will provide a space for people to grieve and honour their loved ones, and it will serve as a reminder to our community that each life that is lost is loved and missed,” says Jean Hopkins, manager of the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy.
In 2023, Guelph-Wellington saw the highest number of fatalities from drug poisonings on record, with at least 27 lives lost to the unpredictable and toxic unregulated drug supply.
“Too often, stigma associated with substance use prevents people from accessing the supports they need” says Kristin Kerr, CEO of Stonehenge Therapeutic Community
Tonya Evans, Peer Navigator with the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo-Wellington, says with the relaunch, the campaign has more community partners who have signed on to see the project through.
“We began this fundraiser in 2021, and we have seen so much loss in our community in that time,” says Evans.
“So many people have been impacted by this ongoing tragedy, and it’s time our community has a healing space needed so people can visit to honour, hold space and celebrate the lives lost to the drug poisoning crisis.”
Karen Lomax, a project organizer, says the idea for a memorial was developed following an annual event held in Guelph each year in August called Drug Poisoning Awareness Day, formerly known as International Overdose Awareness Day.
Lomax was approached by a family experiencing a recent loss.
“The event was the only place they could come to remember their loved one and not experience the stigma that is so often associated with losing someone to substance use,” says Lomax.
“Parents, grandparents and others need a public space where they can grieve and celebrate their loved ones. That is the inspiration behind this project.”
The fundraising campaign is being re-launched during the lead up to the 2024 Drug Poisoning Awareness Day taking place on Aug. 29 in downtown Guelph, and on Aug. 22 in Mount Forest.
The campaign has reached one-third of its fundraising goal of $50,000.
Organizers hope to raise the remaining funds in 2024.
Once the goal is reached, the City of Guelph has committed to building the memorial in a city park and providing ongoing maintenance.
Current partners in The Pathways to Remembering Project include The Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo Wellington, Guelph Community Health Centre, Homewood Health Centre’s Community Addictions Program, Nightingale Centre for Grieving Children, Youth and Families, Stonehenge Therapeutic Community, Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy and Wyndham House.
To donate or learn more about the project, visit https://wgdrugstrategy.ca/donate.
