The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
HELP IS AVAILABLE
Supporters, counselors rally to show support for those battling addictions
“Help take the blinders off of a lot people that don’t see that there’s a problem in this country.”
— Rickie Jaworski
Physical and moral care is available for people struggling with addictions, said supporters who came out en masse in Vermilion.
Cold temperatures and drizzle did not stop dozens of people from attending “We Care: Love Over Addiction,” a rally on March 18 to raise awareness and connect drug users with resources that can help.
The event included a march through Vermilion, along with an open house for area counseling and treatment services to set up at Harbourtown Community Church for anyone in need.
“This rally is about something tragic and sad,” said Kim Eberle, of the Let’s Get Real, a Vermilion-based nonprofit recovery community organization.
“However, it’s also about faces of hope, and people that are clean today that were dead, or near dead, very recently,” Eberle said.
She held up signs showing the words “stigma,” something the supporters want to get rid of, and “charity.” Eberle read the definition: “The voluntary giving of help to those in need.”
“This is what we’re doing,” she said, as the crown erupted in applause.
The need for awareness and treatment is not going away, said Josh Budka, pastor of Church Alive Trinity Gospel Church and leader of the grassroots We Care Vermilion.
In Lorain County, a person is dying of drug overdoses every four days; stretching from Sandusky to Lorain, there is a death every day, Budka said.
The goal is to remove the stigma about drug addiction, which has grown to become a problem across all social classes, income levels and ethnicities, Budka said.
“The other thing that we’re doing is, we’re showing love,” Budka said.
The love helps, said Patrick Simmons, 26, of Vermilion. He told the crowd he has accomplished more in the last 18 months of sobriety than he has in the rest of his entire life.
“That’s through God’s grace,” he said.
He described his life as a heroin addict, spending time in and out of jail, estranged from his mother, scrounging for money for food and drugs. Simmons said before sobriety, he would walk in the rain from Vermilion to Lorain if he could score drugs.
But on March 18, Simmons said he was having fun sober and walking in the rain with the crowd. He attended with his family, including his 2-monthold daughter, Sage, and explained how on Monday he will start a job he hopes will become a career.
“The ‘We Care’ – people do care,” Simmons said. “I was so surprised, when I started actually putting an effort towards getting sober, how many people put their hands out and were more than willing to help me.
“It’s crazy the amount of support I have today, and they’re friends today,” he said. “The bonds that were built are just indescribable.”
The speakers included Rickie Jaworski, who in January gained public attention for standing on the street in Vermilion with a sign in hopes of raising awareness. He is not an addict but has seen the struggles of family members and friends who are.
“I just want to say thanks for showing support, helping the cause, bringing awareness,” Jaworski said. “Help take the blinders off of a lot people that don’t see that there’s a problem in this country.”