June 30, 2025
Shaw Local
NewsSportsBearsNewslettereNewspaperObituariesWeekend PlansEvent Calendar

Ecker Center to host Overdose Awareness Day event

Anyone who lost someone to drug overdose welcome to participate

By Shaw Local News Network

Jennifer, a recovering alcoholic, who only gave her first name, said she also lost her son 2014 to a heroin overdose after seven times in rehab. She spoke Tuesday night in a remembrance ceremony for Overdose Awareness Day at Ecker Center for Behavioral Health in Elgin. This year's event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday. (Brenda schory)

ELGIN – In association with International Overdose Awareness Day, Ecker Center for Behavioral Health will host an Overdose Awareness and Memorial Event Wednesday in Elgin, the agency announced in a news release.

The free event, open to all ages, will go from 7 p.m. to dusk at 2 American Way, Elgin.

“This event is an opportunity to come together as a community and hold space for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one to an overdose and give hope to individuals experiencing a substance use disorder, no matter where they are in their recovery journey,” Ecker spokeswoman Jennifer Flory stated in the release. “We are in this together.”

Community members who have lost a loved one to an overdose are invited to share their loved one’s name and photo.

The names of overdose victims will be read aloud during the candlelight vigil, followed by an invitation for guests to view the memorial signs on display around Ecker’s Serenity Path.

An online tribute will be posted online for those unable to attend the event in-person.

Overdose reversal training and Narcan kits will be available free, the release stated.

The nation’s overdose epidemic continues to worsen, as the number of fatal drug overdoses has increased for the 12th consecutive year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021 – up 15% from the previous year – at a rate of 294 deaths per day. And over 75% of those overdoses involved an opioid.

In Illinois, there were 3,013 fatalities due to opioid overdose, and there were 63 deaths in Kane County, according to the release.

Ecker Center is committed to addressing the needs of the community by increasing substance use prevention efforts for youth, offering a variety of recovery services for individuals with a substance use disorder, and encouraging community members to receive overdose reversal training.

More information about Ecker Center for Behavioral Health is available at www.eckercenter.org.

Kane CountyElginLocal
-->