Batavia, OH – This Saturday, October 19, there will be a rally at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Union Township. This is the first event that Clermont Chapter of SOLACE (Surviving Our Loss And Continuing Everyday) will be hosting. SOLACE is a group of individuals who have been impacted by drug abuse. The purpose of the rally is to bring greater awareness to the prescription drug and heroin addiction that is prevalent in our community – and across the nation.
The event starts at noon and ends at 6:00 pm. At 4:00 p.m. there will be a presentation including Commissioner Bob Proud and Karen Scherra, Executive Director of the Mental Health and Recovery Board will also be speaking. Jo Anna Krohn from Portsmouth will explain how SOLACE was started and some SOLACE members will share their stories. Fifty-three black balloons attached to crosses will be displayed to represent each Clermont County resident who died from an overdose in 2012. At the end of the presentation, demographic information will be read for each of these individuals as the string of the balloon attached to their cross is cut.
The SOLACE group meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 6:00 until 8:00 pm. Led by Donald “Luke” Keller, the Coalition for a Drug-Free Clermont County intern, the group spends some time at each meeting sharing information and supporting each other. The second hour of the meeting is focused on advocacy to give the group a positive way to take action.
