A community remembrance in memory of those lost to overdose will take place next week at Jaycee Park in Cape Coral.

The vigil, put on each year by the Lee County Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida, takes place on Oct. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Attendees can memorialize those they have lost to overdose and put their picture on the Warrior Wall.

“This is a time of isolation for many of us, and it gives us a chance to get together,” said coalition Executive Director Deborah Comella. “Very often overdose is seen in the community (with) a stigma around it that can isolate family members and friends, and this offers us an opportunity to get together to acknowledge the fact that substance abuse disorder is a disease, it’s a disease of the brain. It’s touched every community, every life, every family. It gives us a chance to offer support.”

Coalition board member Katie Whalen-Polewski, who lost her son at the age of 26 in 2016 due to an accidental overdose, said the support of the group of people that gather to memorialize their loved one is overwhelming.

“It’s astonishing how much we support each other and come to realize you’re not the only one going through this. There’s a great support system.” she said. “We have to take away the stigma and the shame of this disease. We have to stand up for our warriors, get their names out there and get the awareness out there. There’s no discrimination when it comes to addiction. It’s not a fault, it’s a disease. People need to start realizing that and not feel the stigma or the shame of it, because that stops some people from going and getting the help.”

Comella added, “Sometimes it’s helpful to know you have support and that other people are walking the same walk. We don’t want the memory of those souls to be lost.”

Whalen-Polewski said seeing all of the pictures on the Warrior Wall — and in prior events the names of those who have passed written in sidewalk chalk – is a powerful display.

“You just see all of these faces of all of these people. We’re going to start taking these pictures and making a quilt for every one of our warriors,” she said. “It’s very, very moving. I’ll never forget one year seeing two little kids writing both of their parents’ names. It’s heartbreaking, but it brings them to light. It puts a face to these people — good, kind people.”

Whalen-Polewski said she encourages anyone who has lost a loved one to overdose to attend, whether it was five days ago or five years ago.

“The support of the people out there and the event itself is heartwarming. It really is. It makes you feel less alone.”

Comella said with the pandemic ongoing and over the last year, the isolation of COVID-19 has contributed to a higher number of overdose deaths.

“We continue to work on prevention and getting people into recovery. People do get better. We know that recovery is possible. But opioids continue to be on the forefront. If we can be of some comfort to these families, that’s all we want to do.”

Jaycee Park is at 4215 SE 20th Place. For more information on the coalition, visit drugfreeswfl.org.

–Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj