Balloons are let off into the sky during the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia’s Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening.
A candle is lit in honor of an overdose victim during the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia’s Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening.
Melissa Bentley holds up a photo of her late daughter, Hannah Bergeron, during the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia’s Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening. Bergeron died of a drug overdose at age 22 in February 2022.
Gabby Adkins, community engagement specialist for the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia, tends to a man at the agency’s resource table during their Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening.
Melissa Bentley, whose daughter died from a drug overdose last year, tearfully gives remarks about her experience during the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia’s Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening.
Gabby Adkins, community engagement specialist for the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia, gives remarks during the organization’s Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening.
Balloons are let off into the sky during the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia’s Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening.
A candle is lit in honor of an overdose victim during the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia’s Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening.
Melissa Bentley holds up a photo of her late daughter, Hannah Bergeron, during the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia’s Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening. Bergeron died of a drug overdose at age 22 in February 2022.
Gabby Adkins, community engagement specialist for the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia, tends to a man at the agency’s resource table during their Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening.
Melissa Bentley, whose daughter died from a drug overdose last year, tearfully gives remarks about her experience during the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia’s Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening.
Gabby Adkins, community engagement specialist for the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia, gives remarks during the organization’s Black Balloon Day event at the Willis-Nisbet Stadium in Logan Monday evening.
LOGAN — The Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia on Monday evening sponsored an event observing Black Balloon Day, which is a national day of remembrance to celebrate lives lost to substance overdose.
The event, which was held at Logan High School’s Willis-Nisbet Stadium, included an array of resource tables from organizations like the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network, the Logan County Quick Response Team, the Logan County Prevention Coalition, and Mountain Laurel Integrated Healthcare, the latter of which had a van onsite providing mental health related screenings.
“We hope that this, honestly, just shows that there’s unity and love in the community and to show them that they’re not alone during times like this, whether they are still using substances, whether they’ve experienced loss to an overdose, or if they’ve even overdosed and they just have lost that hope,” said Gabby Adkins, community engagement specialist for the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia. “Even mental health, I feel, that’s a big factor to this, whether it’s depression, anxiety, PTSD.”
The event also provided individuals the opportunity to speak about their own personal experiences regarding drug overdose. One person to speak was Melissa Bentley, whose daughter, Hannah Bergeron, died in Feb. 2022 from an overdose. She was just 22.
During her remarks, Bentley called for a softer-minded approach toward addiction disorders.
“It’s up to us to work together to help reduce the stigma and shame related to substance abuse disorder,” Bentley said. “We have to create a more compassionate and loving environment for people to be able to speak up and get help. People have to know they are loved and that they are worth it. Addiction is a mental disease and deserves just as much respect, compassion, and care as any other illness that anybody else has. If you are here today and you are in recovery, stay strong, and be grateful that you have your life today.”
Speaking after Bentley was Hannah Wooten, who lost her mother two years ago. Wooten reflected on her mother’s loss being one of the darkest moments of her life, subsequently getting better after she obtained a newfound love for the church and her religious faith.
Following the testimonies, candles were lit in honor of overdose victims, and the assembled crowd moved to the center of the field, where each person released a black balloon into the sky.
To learn more about the Recovery Group of Southern West Virginia, visit www.recoveryswv.org.
