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. 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.
The pop-up garden was complemented by a virtual memorial site, which has received over 200 submissions. Individuals submitted photos and stories of loved ones lost to substance use. The site remains live and continues to receive submissions: substanceusephilly.com/memorial PhillyHEALS continues to provide bereavement support for loss due to substance use and interested individuals can sign up for their services at phila.gov/griefsupport
View the video from our opening ceremony: youtu.be/1OU8ypdunmk