08/24/2026
💜 Marion County, let’s go purple on August 31 for International Overdose Awareness Day.
Overdose Awareness Month is a time to remember the lives we’ve lost—and to recognize the lives we can still reach.
It’s also a time to discuss the stigma that keeps people from asking for help. Substance use disorder is a health condition, not a moral failure. Stigma, shame, and judgment can prevent people from seeking support, carrying naloxone, talking openly about overdose, or taking steps toward recovery.
Compassion saves lives. When we replace judgment with understanding, we make it easier for people to reach out, accept help, and stay connected to care.
Overdose is preventable, and everyone has a role in prevention. Carry naloxone and learn how to use it.
Every purple light, ribbon, shirt, sign, or photo sends a message:
We remember. We care. We support. We refuse to give up hope.
At the Marion County Quick Response Team, we see what can happen when people are met with compassion, connection, resources, and another chance.
Preventing overdoses is part of what helps lives to be rebuilt, families to find hope, and for people to discover that their story is not over.
Go purple for the people we miss.
Go purple for the families who carry their memory.
Go purple for those struggling today.
Go purple for those in recovery.
Go purple to challenge stigma and make it safer to ask for help.
Go purple because every life is worth saving.
If you or someone you care about needs support, treatment resources, harm-reduction resources, naloxone information, or peer connection, the Marion County QRT Connection Line is here:
đź“ž 304-278-4025
💜 Remember those we’ve lost. Support those who are here. Prevent another empty chair. Reduce stigma. Keep hope alive.
August is Overdose Awareness Month.
When we talk about overdose, it is easy to see a number or hear statistics and keep scrolling.
But behind every number was a person.
Someone with a name. Someone with a story. Someone who laughed, loved, had favorite songs, inside jokes, birthdays and people who loved them.
And when that person is gone, the loss doesn’t end there.
It lives in the mom who would give anything for one more hug. The child growing up without a parent. The brother or sister who still reaches for the phone. The friend who wishes they had one more conversation. The empty chair at holidays. The birthday that still comes every year.
It touches the people working toward recovery and the families standing beside them. It touches the first responders who answer the calls and sometimes carry those memories home with them too.
Overdose leaves a much bigger footprint than most people ever see.
That is why on August 31, we’re asking Marion County to GO PURPLE.
Wear purple. Put a ribbon on your door. Light your porch or business purple. Paint your nails. Decorate a window. It doesn’t matter how big or small. Then take a picture and share it on social media.
Let’s fill Marion County with purple for the people we wish were still here, for the families who will always carry them in their hearts, for those who are struggling today and for every person who has fought their way into recovery.
And maybe someone scrolling through their feed that day will see all that purple and realize something important.
People care. Their life matters. And there is still hope.
So, start planning your purple, Marion County!!
On August 31, let’s show just how much heart this community has.
Remember. Support. Prevent.
