State Sen. John Velis speaks to attendees about the stigma that substance users face at last year’s vigil.
Reminder Publishing file photo
WESTFIELD — The city of Westfield will host a candlelight vigil to honor lives lost to overdose on Thursday, Aug. 28 from 6-8:30 p.m. in the Elm Street Plaza, a new location for the vigil.
With a theme of “forget me not,” the program will focus on remembrance, awareness and hope.
Debra Mulvenna, director of Public Health, said this year’s vigil is being planned by Tapestry Health and the Westfield Recovery Center, a peer recovery center run by Gandara Health.
“This year we passed the torch to Tapestry and Gandara to take the lead on this, and they graciously accepted. I am already impressed with what they’ve done to prepare for the vigil, coming from the community and their needs,” Mulvenna said.
The city is currently interviewing for a new recovery outreach coordinator after the departure of Kimberly Slade, who Mulvenna said did “marvelous work,” adding that the city hopes to have someone in place soon.
“The goal has always been for us to empower the community to provide services,” Mulvenna said. “We look at Westfield as the coordinator of services, to identify gaps, bring people together and avoid repetition of services, and [foster] collaboration. We’re here to connect people to get the services they need to organizations and support.”
Gabrielle Nardacci of Tapestry Health said leading the overdose awareness event is a responsibility that Tapestry and the Peer Recovery Center hold with deep care and purpose.
“When someone has been lost due to an overdose, the impact ripples through every aspect of life. It affects families, friends, neighbors and entire communities. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to bring together a wide range of resources at this event, because support looks different for everyone,” Narducci said.
“Whether it’s a family member navigating the pain of loving someone who struggles with substance use, a community member seeking safe supplies, a friend in need of Narcan or someone newly in recovery looking for a safe, welcoming space to grow, this event is for all of them.”
Narducci said their goal is to make it more than just an event about overdose, but to “shine a light on the resources, support and hope available in our community.”
“Too often we hear about the people we have lost mentioned by stigma or judgment and we want to create a space where their stories bring light and are celebrated, rather than being remembered as a number in data. Hence naming the event Forget Me Not,” Narducci said.
To honor those who have been lost, there will be a memorial banner for community members to sign or leave messages. There will also be a candlelight ceremony, during which a poem will be read. The band Onehope from the Evangelical Free Church will also perform.
Speakers will include representatives from Tapestry, a local professional who has both worked in the field and experienced personal loss due to overdose, and an advocate who champions both harm reduction and recovery.
“This event is about remembrance, connection, and hope, and reminding everyone that they are not alone,” Narducci said.
David Robinson of the Westfield Peer Recovery Center said August is the month for overdose awareness and there are vigils hosted all over the world. He said they give a space for people to talk about loved ones who have died.
Tapestry Health’s Harm Reduction Site at 17 East Silver St. in Westfield (413-241-5379), which opened in 2023, provides confidential services to the public including syringe access and disposal, Narcan training and access, overdose prevention services, STI/STD, HIV and Hep C testing, safer use counseling and referrals to drug treatment and medical care.
The Westfield Peer Recovery Center at 75 Broad St. (413-507-0787), which opened in April, offers connection, support and a sense of belonging to people in recovery. A program of the Gandara Center, it is pen to recovering individuals as well as families and loved ones affected by addiction. The operational costs of the program are being funded for the first two years through the opioid settlement funds awarded to the city of Westfield.
