August was Overdose Awareness Month and a powerful month of community, meaningful events, and fundraising for ERA.
We kicked off the month with our FIRST local musical artist benefit, featuring Toby Ellis and D.R. Bridges! Hosted at Arcademie and made possible by Your Brother’s Bookstore, Samantha Buente, and the musicians, it was a fun night of local businesses supporting our local nonprofit and raised over $250 to help fund our local grassroots efforts to distribute Harm Reduction materials across the city.
Another noteworthy moment in August was Larry’s (our mobile outreach van) debut at our weekly Sunday free Harm Reduction lunch in Boxtown. Our table continues to get longer and more full with the support of Evansville Mutual Aid and so many allies in the community.
We finished the month with three events around Overdose Awareness Day, beginning August 28th with an Overdose Awareness Vigil at the Old Courthouse downtown. The Old Courthouse Foundation Board of Directors approved lighting the bell tower purple for this bittersweet event. The stories and memories shared by all those who came out to talk about loved ones lost touched us deeply. We continue to work toward a future where no one dies of an overdose!
August 30th we held one of our biggest events to date: A Day of Remembrance – Let it Be Spoken, at Crescent City Collective, was a meaningful evening for friends and families to remember loved ones lost and surviving collectively. A labor of love, this evening was made possible by so many, including the Brewer family who coordinated the event, musicians Nina Snoogans and Trace Monroe, Gray Lily Tattoo, Blue Bird Hot Chicken, and all the sponsors who donated to the silent auction items. Huge thank you to the Brewer family for making this event a reality, and the Evansville Human Relations Commission for their generous sponsorship of $1000. We were so overwhelmed with gratitude for the amazing energy and support we saw in the community that night.
Closing out August 31st was the Hacienda Giveback Fiesta! Supporters got to enjoy delicious food with 20% of their order price going to ERA. We appreciated the opportunity to meet old and new friends while giving out Narcan and information to those who stopped by.
Estimated total raised for the month of August was $6000! Everyone who volunteered, donated, attended, and shared our posts made possible this amount being raised and going back into the community in the form of Harm Reduction and spreading awareness. THANK YOU ALL!
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