Community-based groups are making waves in making moves helping people with drug addiction. They are dedicated to educating residents about addiction, holding annual events, giving free medical services, as well as raising money to help those suffering from addiction.

One such event was held in Franklin for the fourth annual Changing the Face of Addiction walk at the Franklin Fire Pavilion. It’s a perfect time to raise awareness about addiction as a disease as hundreds of people gathered to turn a “tragic situation in their lives into a happy morning”. They aim to remove all the stigma surrounding addiction and change the public perception to help recovering addicts.

Supporting each other

Nothing beats a full-blown community effort in supporting recovering addicts and their families to reclaim their lives. It’s about saying how loved they are and that society can welcome them back. According to the executive director of the Center for Prevention and Counseling, Becky Carlson, the walk raised an estimated $56,000 and $57,000. The event was so successful that it had 500 people supporting the cause and joining this fun activity. Those who participated in the cause walked about a mile and a half before heading back to the pavilion where they enjoyed good food and music.

“FRANKLIN — Rainy, dreary conditions early Saturday morning made way for sunny skies in time for the fourth annual Changing the Face of Addiction walk at the Franklin Fire Pavilion. The weather perfectly mirrored the event, as hundreds of participants came out to turn a tragic situation in their lives into a happy morning while continuing to work to change public perception of those affected by addiction.

Becky Carlson, executive director of the Center for Prevention and Counseling, said the walk raised between $56,000 and $57,000 and drew more than 500 people — a figure she believes would have been higher had it not been for the uncertain weather in the morning. Those in attendance walked about a mile and a half before ending back at the pavilion, where they enjoyed one another’s company along with food and music.

All money raised from the walk goes directly to the Center for Prevention and Counseling to help those struggling with addiction and their loved ones receive the services they need. “It just gives people a place to be with other people that understand what they’re going through,” Carlson said of the event, adding of addiction, “It can be anybody (who is affected), and it is anybody.”

The walk was begun in 2015 by Sussex County residents Elaine Tizzano and Mary Burns as a way of honoring those lost to addiction while also changing the conversation behind the topic. Tizzano’s son George, 27, succumbed to a drug overdose in 2014. Burns lost her son Eric, 22, in the same manner in 2012.”

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