Camden Vigil Remembers Drug Overdose Victims, Offers Chance To Heal
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) - The Ben Franklin Bridge turned purple -- the color symbolizing overdose awareness -- overlooking Waterfront Stadium in Camden, which hosted a candlelight vigil remembering lives lost to drug addiction.
There were too many names to read aloud, so the pictures of nearly 1,000 overdose victims were shown on a large screen throughout.
Hundreds of people were there, each having their own, personal reasons for attending.
For Jennifer ...
"My daughter's currently in recovery," she says. "I think [this event] is beautiful. Done very nicely, it's touching."
Thousands Walk The Walk In Fight Against AIDS
Others, like Colleen Howard, were there to honor loved ones who lost the battle against opioid addiction.
"I lost my son, Joshua, in 2009 to a heroin addiction," she says.
She welcomes the chance to attend events like this.
"It's important that we get together and have things like this where we can support each other and see that we're not alone," Howard says.
4 Philly Sheriff's Deputies Heading To Puerto Rico For Hurricane Relief Effort
Then there was Scott, who is currently in recovery.
"I was kind of surprised how I reacted emotionally when I first got here," he says. "You can feel the love and also the loss that people are dealing with here."
On top of prayer, those attending also had the opportunity to write messages to the victims, and post them on the memory wall.
Vigil organizers say the goal is to raise awareness of what they call "a crisis" while erasing the stigma.
