UPDATE- As of 10/1 the pop-up garden is over and this form will continue solely for signups for the virtual memorial site- www.substanceusephilly.com/memorial
Please join us in honoring the beautiful souls that we have tragically lost to substance use in the Philadelphia area. PhillyHEALs' 2022 Memorial project consists of an in-person pop-up memorial garden in Center City Philadelphia, as well as an ongoing virtual memorial site.
The virtual memorial site remains live and accepting submissions- www.substanceusephilly.com/memorial.
The garden was open from August 31, 2022 through September 30th, 2022 on the east side of Thomas Paine Plaza (1401 JFK Blvd. Philadelphia, PA 19102).
Learn more about it through this article or this video.
On August 31st (International Overdose Awareness and Memorial Day), the City launched a pop-up overdose memorial garden in Thomas Paine Plaza, a large open space outside of the Municipal Services Building. Over 1,200 purple flowers were planted to recognize the Philadelphians lost to substance use. The goal was to create a space for hope and healing for bereaved survivors, a space that humanizes individuals lost and increases public awareness and decreases stigma about the overdose crisis that claimed 1200+ Philadelphians in 2021, and a space that empowers bereaved survivors to educate stakeholders and individuals in the field.
Throughout the 31 days that the garden was up, community members were welcome to attend events in the garden, learn more about substance use resources and supports, and tag flowers in honor of a lost loved one. By the end of the 31 days, over 575 flowers had been marked with names. Each tag was beautifully decorated by bereaved survivors.
In all, forty-two (42) events were held in the garden that touched on bereavement support, harm reduction, resource connection, advocacy, and more. Notable events included the Black Grief Matters panel, an interactive lecture on Co-Occurring Disorders, an Open Mic Night, an event bringing together community members and first responders, the Wellness Resource Fair, and more. The garden, which was staffed by ODAAT (One Day at a Time) employees, and the Philly HEALS team, was open daily and at least two individuals were on site to engage with visitors during open hours. Over 900 individuals were engaged through events and open hours in the garden and well over 2000 individuals walked through the garden.
View clips from the Opening Ceremony here.
PhillyHEALs (Healing and Empowerment After Loss) is the Philadelphia Department of Public Health's Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction's Bereavement Care Program for loss due to substance use. To learn more about our other services, please visit www.phila.gov/griefsupport
If you feel uncomfortable completing this form or have questions, you can contact the Bereavement Care Program Manager, Kaitlin Worden, 267-239-1958, Kaitlin.Worden@Phila.Gov
Pagina en espanol: www.tinyurl.com/conmemorando