| “…even as we are caught in a web of hurt and brokenness, we’re also in a web of healing and mercy… It’s when mercy is least expected that it’s most potent…. It has the power to heal the psychic harm and injuries…” -Bryan Stevenson On August 31st, International Overdose Awareness Day, I had the honor of attending a vigil in South Bend to remember the 83 residents of St. Joseph County who lost their lives to overdose in 2020. As a mother shared her story of losing her son who had been in recovery for years, I could only think of my own family member in recovery and be grateful for every moment he is with us. I also thought of how hopeless it feels to be 20 years into the opioid epidemic and still be losing so many lives. My partner Adam mentioned that as terrible as the situation is, it confirms that we are in the right place at the right time. Adam’s words reminded me of Bryan Stevenson’s description of the opportunity he has to provide mercy that has the power to heal. It is this reality that sends Bryan back to his work on death row, a place where hurt and brokenness are overwhelming. It is there that great opportunity exists for healing. Naxos Neighbors continues to work every day to bring neighbors together in moments of crisis to be that voice of healing and mercy for those struggling with opioid use disorder. Business Updates On September 19th we attended Recover Michiana Fest at Howard Park, our first event to recruit responders for Naxos OD. We ended the day with 45 people registered to receive updates on our app, and 40 of the 45 interested in Narcan training, the first step to becoming a Naxos OD Responder. In addition,17 people completed surveys to help us understand the supports our responders may need. This event was a great start to reaching our target of 100 trained responders to launch. We are so grateful for the recovery community and their willingness to embrace saving lives. We are excited to be working with Bendable to create a community collection that will provide introductory resources to community members who want to know how they can help save lives from opioid overdose. Look for our collection coming soon. Bendable is accessible to any South Bend resident with a library card. Naxos Neighbors is a South Bend Awesome Fund Winner! The South Bend Awesome Foundation is dedicated to supporting people, ideas, businesses, and causes that will make the South Bend area even more Awesome! We are grateful for these amazing people who are committed to making their community an awesome place to live. App Updates On Thursday, October 21st, we completed our third beta testing event at the Recovery Café. Many thanks to Sean King and Rich Fox for their help in recruiting volunteers and providing space for this event. We tested a new feature to help navigate the last 100 yards to the requestor’s location. |
