RICHMOND, Va. — More than 200 people have helped dedicate a new memorial garden in Virginia to commemorate loved ones lost to addiction.
The dedication on Saturday was part of Recovery Fest, an event put on by the McShin Foundation to celebrate National Recovery Month. Many people who attended wore T-shirts that read, “Make Recovery the Epidemic.”
Virginia is on pace to exceed the 1,626 overdose deaths recorded last year. In the Richmond area, emergency calls for non-alcohol-related overdoses are up nearly 65% in the first half of 2020.
The event typically draws close to 1,000 attendees, but was limited this year to 250 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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