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Event remembered those lost from overdoses

by MAKENNA DREHER for the beacon

When Debbie Warfield and Cathi Le e started a community event six years ago to honor their sons who died from overdoses, they didn’t expect the event to grow into what it is today.

The two women started what Warfield described as a “grassroots-type” of event at Silver Lake Park in Everett to honor loved ones who were impacted by substance use disorders on International Overdose Awareness Day.

Six years later, the event – A Night to Remember, A Time to Act – has grown into a full outdoor resource fair, a program with multiple speakers, and a candlelight vigil for community members to honor loved ones.

After both mothers lost their sons to overdose, they said they noticed a lack of resources for people struggling with addiction and for the family and friends of people with substance use disorders.

“That was one of our big concerns. We didn’t know where to go for resources and felt very lost and pretty much alone,” said Warfield.

Now, the annual event is held at the Snohomish County Plaza in Everett, where the public could walk between tables of organizations and resources before sitting at an amphitheater to hear from speakers and light a candle for loved ones.

It was held Aug. 31 on International Overdose Awareness Day.

Attendees light candles to honor loved ones lost from overdoses.

“We had a really good turnout,” said Warfield. “At the resource fair, we’ve gotten so many more resource people to join us. That was really fantastic.”

Lindsey Arrington, founder of Hope Soldiers, now partners with Warfield and Lee to organize the event. She also emceed the program and led a moment of silence and see OVERDOSE LOSSES page 3 u

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Production/Design

Debbie Magill

City hosts Point Elliott Treaty Plaque Replacement Ceremony

The City of Mukilteo will hold a Point Elliott Treaty Plaque Replacement Ceremony at 3 p.m., Sept. 9, outside the Rosehill Community Center.

The Point Elliott Treaty was signed in 1855. The treaty is the lands settlement between the Native American tribes in the greater Puget Sound region and the United States government. It was not until 1931 that a monument and plaque commemorating the signing of the Point Elliott Peace Treaty was arranged by the Marcus Whitman Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The plaque was stolen in 2020. The City has invited the Daughters of the American Revolution, Tulalip Tribes, City Council, and members of the Mukilteo Historical Society to attend the ceremony. Members of the public are also encouraged to attend.

“I am pleased that we were able to restore this piece of Mukilteo’s history,” said Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine. “I would strongly encourage members of the public to attend the ceremony and celebrate Mukilteo’s 75th anniversary at the Lighthouse Festival after.”

Tactile maps installed at Mukilteo ferry terminal

It’s now easier for people who are blind or have low vision to navigate the Mukilteo ferry terminal independently. Last week, Washington State Ferries installed three tactile maps that provide information in Braille, including the location of the facility in relation to the surrounding area and what’s inside the terminal.

The maps also explain how to find the tactile wayfinding strips at the terminal, which are textured rubbery strips that were installed in the concrete floor for people who use canes as a navigation tool. Whidbey and Camano Islands Tourism sponsored the maps.

City’s Stormwater Utility to host open house Sept. 13

The City of Mukilteo Stormwater Utility, a division of the City’s Public Works Department, hosts an open house from 6:30-8 p.m., Sept. 13, at Rosehill Community Center

As a utility, services are funded by a fee paid by property owners. These fees support projects and programs identified in the prayer for those lost by overdoses. numbers are up, but we want to try to get the numbers down. And with the help of our leaders and everybody in the community, we can do that.

City’s Stormwater Comprehensive Plan. The public’s input helps the City make decisions around what services to prioritize. Learn how the Stormwater Utility reduces flooding and keeps waterways clean at the open house.

You also can fill out an online survey at https://bit.ly/3BimvsK.

Throughout the night, Arrington emphasized the importance of awareness for survivors of substance use and how events like this one are helping to destigmatize substance use and recovery.

“When we talk about defeating stigmas, the reason for that is because there is still such negativity associated with people who struggle with addiction, and a lot of the reason is because there is crime involved with supporting an addiction,” Arrington said during the event.

Like the event name, half of the purpose for A Night to Remember, A Time to Act is to dedicate a day to honor lost loved ones. The other half is to do something about the increasing number of people dying from overdoses, Arrington explained.

“The numbers are up, but we want to try to get the numbers down. And with the help of our leaders and everybody in the community, we can do that,” she said.

In 2021, 354 people died from drug overdoses in Snohomish County compared to 303 in 2020 and 251 in 2019, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office.

“We are in the community, and we see it everywhere now,” Arrington said. “It’s a problem. But there are solutions and there is hope. It’s time to act.”

Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney and two young graduates from the LEAD the Way Program also shared about their experiences with prevention and substance use.

Warfield said that it was the first time the event had young speakers talking about their experiences with substance use and how they overcame it.

“We had the younger and a little older story that definitely shows that (substance use) affects all ages,” she said.

“It’s nice we’re starting at prevention rather than overdose. I think that’s a valuable thing,” she said. “Early prevention is obviously the answer to a lot of it.”

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers spoke about efforts being made at the county level to support survivors and assist with those struggling with substance use disorders.

Mark Rogge, owner and construction director of Supreme Living, shared his personal story of overcoming substance use. He said he was hopeful that by sharing his story of substance use and recovery others would be inspired to reach out for help and understand that recovery is possible.

“I will never say that I’m glad to be an addict or that I’m glad to be in recovery. However, I will always be grateful for learning the most important thing in life – and that is the love of my life and my kids,” said Rogge.

Warfield hopes that people can learn to be more open about these issues and think outside of the box to keep solving this problem.

“This is a true epidemic, a health issue, and a mental health issue and it’s not going away,” she said.

“We are so thankful to have Hope Soldiers, Snohomish County, and the Snohomish Health District supporting us, which definitely makes it a well-rounded event.

“We definitely want to do it every year and keep that tradition going to honor all those people,” she said. “It can be an easily forgotten group.”

Resources

More resources for those struggling with substance use or loved ones affected: snohd. org, hopesoldiers.org, snohomishoverdoseprevention.com.

A Night to Remember, A Time to Act: facebook.com/overdoseawarenesseverett/.

Naloxone, which can reverse the effect of an opioid overdose, is available for free online and can be mailed to your home through the Washington State Department of Health: bit. ly/3Bi1Cy7.