Mon Valley Opioid Coalition plans kickoff parade in conjunction with National Night Out
The Mon Valley Opioid Coalition will introduce itself during an established event known as National Night Out, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 27.
The opioid coalition’s kickoff is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. at the Monessen City Park walking track on Grand Boulevard. It will begin with a parade in which high school and college bands will perform.
Afterward, Galiffa Productions will provide music. Children’s activities are planned, and local churches will be selling food, including ethnic specialties.
The gathering also coincides with National Recovery Month.
“This is an opportunity for the community to meet and learn more about Mon Valley Opioid Coalition,” said Colleen Hughes, executive director of the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission.
“We’re trying to build relationships between the three counties in the Mon Valley and first responders. We want to make people aware of the resources available for those caught in the opioid epidemic.”
Formed to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic, the Mon Valley Opioid Coalition has been meeting since November.
Hughes co-chairs the commission with Monessen Police Chief Jim Smith. Rostraver Township, Charleroi police and Donora police are also represented, along with members of the faith-based community, staffers and students from Belle Vernon Area and Monessen high schools, prevention providers, members of the recovery organizations, treatments providers and pharmacists.
The Mon Valley Opioid Coalition is a sponsor of the local National Night Out along with the City of Monessen, Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission Inc., Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission Inc. and Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission Inc.
National Night Out promotes good relationships between police and the community.
The coalition has set as its goals the long-term health, safety and well-being of people in the region, reducing the stigma of drug dependence, educating the public and eliminating the barriers to substance-use disorder treatment.
Another event, the second Rally for Recovery, is scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, in the Charleroi Market House.
Sponsored by Club Serenity, the rally will feature hourly speakers and information booths. Food will be sold along with tickets for silent auctions and raffles.