fed up letter thomas coordinator for fed up! rally in scott county, indiana 812.595.0829 visit us at...
TRANSCRIPT
Dear
We are rallying on International Overdose Awareness Day, Thursday, August 31
st starting at 5 pm at Austin City
Hall, 80 W. Main Street in Austin and ending at Jayce Ray Stallings Youth Center, 1054 Clay Street in Austin, andinvite you to join us.We will have a police escort walking from Austin City Hall to the Jayce Ray Stallings Youth Center, where we willhear speakers, eat a meal, and release balloons in memory of overdose deaths. It is our hope that you will want to bea part of this rally and join us in calling for an immediate and coordinated federal response to the national opioidcrisis.Many of our friends and families in Scott County, Indiana, have been impacted by the opioid addiction epidemic, aproblem that the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the “worst drug epidemic inU.S. history.” Overdose deaths attributed to opioids (pain killers and heroin) have more than quadrupled since 2000,reaching more than 33,000 in 2015. Drug overdose deaths now surpass motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause ofaccidental death. However, overdose deaths are just the tip of an iceberg. Other consequences of our opioid crisisinclude soaring rates of opioid addiction, opioid-related hospital visits and infants born opioid-dependent. This crisisis devastating our families throughout Indiana.
The FED UP! Coalition to End the Opioid Epidemic is working to organize rallies to be held simultaneously onAugust 31
st in cities and towns across the U.S. and Canada. It will be a day for peaceful demonstrations calling for
action, and a day to remember the thousands who have been lost to overdose. No one is immune to the disease ofaddiction. It’s time to speak out against the stigma and the policies that have led to this epidemic.
Participation in our International Overdose Awareness Day Rally is free. Anyone wishing to be involved iswelcome.
To get involved with our rally or to join us on August 31, please contact Becky Thomas at 812.595.0829.
Sincerely,
Becky ThomasCoordinator for FED UP! Rally in Scott County, Indiana812.595.0829Visit us at www.feduprally.org