Members of Walking in Awareness and Recovery organized a gathering to mark International Overdose Awareness Day on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at Warsaw’s Central Park. It included a balloon release in memory of those lost to drug overdoses. InkFreeNews photos by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — The problem with drug addiction is not solely tied to those directly struggling with it and their families and friends, but the greater community as a whole.

That was one of the messages heard Wednesday, Aug. 31, during a gathering at Central Park in Warsaw that was organized locally by Walking in Awareness and Recovery for International Overdose Awareness Day.

WAR’s event included speakers sharing their own battles with addiction as well as those of people they knew.

Kosciusko County Jail Chemical Addiction Program Coordinator Courtney Jenkins was one of the speakers. She referenced her own son’s ongoing struggle with drug addiction.

“For each of the people that we’ve lost, there’s dozens more who are still fighting and we need to remember them and we need to pray for them and we need to hope and we need to be there for them and we need events like this to show them that there’s a whole community waiting for them,” she said. “I’m proud of all the people who have put this together because this is needed and it’s necessary and our community needs to know that this is a problem.”

“It’s not somebody else’s kid. It’s my kid. It’s our neighbors. It’s our friends’ children. It’s our friends. And that we need to address it and we need to come together as a community and help one another and reach out to those who are struggling so that they don’t become a statistic,” continued Jenkins.

Shanna Atteberry works locally with drug addiction recovery efforts. She previously battled an addiction to methamphetamine.

She noted that “indirectly, overdose has deeply impacted my family,” sharing how the mother of one of her children’s friends passed away due to a drug overdose. That was related to the woman’s drug dealer not allowing someone to get help when she had overdosed and letting her die.

“Awareness needs to go past just knowing what overdose is. We need to be able to make it so that when someone is dying … and someone has the conscience to say … ‘Should I call someone? Can I save their life?’ You need those people to be able to make that phone call,” said Atteberry.

“You don’t want them to be scared of prosecution. Yes, drugs are wrong. Possession is wrong, but when it comes down to literal life or death, it’s people get left by dumpsters. People get dumped out at hospitals. It might not happen as much here because it’s Warsaw, but let me tell you what, this stuff’s knocking on our door,” she added.

WAR founder Brandi Shepherd spoke briefly at the end of the night shortly before a balloon release was held to memorialize those lost to overdoses.

“Tonight I stand with you as a sister still grieving the loss of her own brother from overdose,” she said. “Tonight we are gathered to remember and honor those lost to overdose.”

“We have to be the voices for those who no longer have a voice and their bereaved families. We will no longer be silent. We will take a stand together,” said Shepherd.

She shared with InkFreeNews that a passion to help others “is what motivates me honestly.”

WAR is in the process of becoming an official 501(c)(3), and Shepherd hopes to have a building for it to help others with recovery from drug addiction.

She and two members of WAR, Brandy Black and Kathy Buckheit, are headed to Washington, D.C., in a few weeks. They are to attend a Congressional panel regarding drugs on Sept. 15, hopefully getting a chance to speak at it.

The group will also speak at a national rally against fentanyl put on by Lost Voices of Fentanyl on Sept. 17 outside the White House.

At Wednesday’s event, WAR had planned to show a slideshow that featured the images and names of people who’ve passed away due to overdose. Technical difficulties prevented that from happening, but the slideshow may be viewed at WAR’s Facebook page WAR Walking in Awareness and Recovery.

People may also still message the page to have their loved ones placed in the slideshow.

WAR founder Brandi Shepherd speaks at the event. She lost her brother to a fentanyl overdose in 2021.

Kosciusko County Jail Chemical Addiction Program Coordinator Courtney Jenkins speaks at the event.

Shanna Atteberry, who works with drug addiction recovery efforts in the area, speaks at the event.

Those involved with WAR and who helped plan Wednesday’s event pose for a photo after it.