Overdose Awareness Day 2025: Highlights from an Inspiring Day
- maxsmission
- Oct 8
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 9
This past Saturday, September 27th, hundreds of community members gathered at Hawthorne Park in Medford for Overdose Awareness Day 2025, and the day was nothing short of extraordinary. Together, we honored lives lost, celebrated resilience, and connected people to vital resources that support our community and save lives every day.
Table of Contents
(Click any of the headings to quick-jump to a specific topic).
Overdose Awareness Day 2025: Highlights
(Overdose Awareness Day grounds at Hawthorne Park in Medford. Click an image to expand and view the gallery)
28 community organizations tabled at Southern Oregon Overdose Awareness Day 2025 to share substance use risk prevention resources, treatment options, housing assistance, healthcare services, and recovery support. Visitors could pick up free naloxone kits and learn how to use them, participate in remembrance activities, discover an incredible network of services available to them in Southern Oregon, and there was even a face-painting booth run by longtime friend of Max's Mission and Educational Facilitator with Teach NW, Amber Bishop.
The day opened with a drum circle performance by the Warrior Society, a Klamath Falls based, Native American drum group whose music carried deep cultural and spiritual significance. Their performance set a powerful tone of reverence, grounding the event in community, tradition, and respect for loved ones lost to overdose.
Early in the afternoon, the 541 VICLAS Motorcycle Club, Associates Car Club, and Familia Unida Car Club rode into the park carrying Max’s Mission Overdose Awareness Day banners. Their arrival was a stirring show of solidarity, and afterward they welcomed attendees to view and appreciate the artistry of their lowriders and motorcycles, adding a vibrant, community-driven showcase that perfectly complemented the day’s purpose.
(Motorcycles and lowriders at OAD '25. Click an image to expand and view the gallery)
On stage, we heard from a lineup of powerful speakers - community leaders, advocates, and people with lived experience - who shared messages of strength and togetherness. Their words, and the collective presence of the hundreds of attendees underscored our shared commitment to ending preventable overdose deaths in Southern Oregon. The atmosphere was kept upbeat with music throughout the afternoon: David Pinsky & Phil Newton delivered an outstanding live blues performance, while DJ Hype kept the momentum flowing in between speakers with dynamic mixes.
(Speakers and audience at OAD '25. click an image to expand and view the gallery)
The afternoon culminated in our giveaway drawing, a highlight of the day that encouraged attendees to connect with every info-booth while earning tickets to the drawing along the way. Prizes ranged from bicycles and experience gift baskets to local business and restaurant gift cards. To close out the day, our friends at Rogue Food Unites donated 150 non-perishable food boxes, which we handed out to participants as they departed - an act of generosity that ensured the spirit of community carried forward well beyond the event itself.
(Giveaway booth and welcome booth area(s). Click an image to expand and view the gallery)
Together, these diverse contributions - whether through culture, music, cars, food, or stories -wove a powerful tapestry of remembrance, resilience, and unity that truly embodied this year’s theme: Breaking the Silence. United for Change.
Honoring Loved Ones & Sharing Stories
One of the most moving parts of the day was our memorial and remembrance area, where families and friends could honor those lost to overdose and fentanyl poisoning. The Purple Chair Project, featuring beautifully decorated chairs created by local families the previous weekend, served as a poignant reminder of the lives behind the statistics. We also premiered a curated remembrance video, made up of photos and tributes submitted by families throughout Southern Oregon, which created a deeply emotional moment of reflection for all in attendance.
(The Purple Chair Project & memorial area at OAD '25. Click an image to expand and view the gallery)
At the memorial tables, participants were invited to take part in hands-on remembrance activities, including painting rocks with names and messages of love and hope, contributing to a large community banner that will serve as a lasting visual tribute and decorating flower pots, and planting purple flower seeds in memory of loved ones. Attendees were also welcome to take seed packets home, continuing the remembrance in their own gardens and community spaces. These creative gestures allowed participants to express grief and love in deeply personal ways while helping hope take root, both symbolically and literally.
(Memorial area & community remembrance banner. click an image to expand and view the gallery)
Thanks to the Sponsors and Partners Who Supported OAD '25
We are deeply grateful to the sponsors who made this event possible. Your generosity strengthened Overdose Awareness Day 2025, allowing us to offer more opportunities for remembrance and community engagement. We were able to offer memorial spaces for grieving families and also create a welcoming atmosphere where people could feel connected, supported and entertained. Each sponsor’s contribution was a vital piece of the puzzle, helping us move forward in our shared mission to prevent overdose deaths and combat the stigma surrounding substance use and asking for help.
Southern Oregon OAD '25 Sponsors
We also want to thank all 28 organizations who tabled at the event (including our fabulous sponsors), offered on-site services, and connected directly with attendees. By sharing your programs, expertise, and compassion face-to-face, you helped community members find real pathways to support, access to individualized recovery options and engage in constructive community dialogue. Thank you for showing up with such energy and commitment - it made a lasting impact on everyone who attended.
A special thank-you as well to Shannon Sakoman, a director at Set Free Services and manager of Joy Community, for generously providing multiple tables and tents for the event - your support helped us accommodate so many incredible community partners and make the day an even bigger success.
(A few of the booths set up by our sponsors and community partner organizations. Click an image to expand and view the gallery)
And finally, a big shout-out to our food vendors, Prickly Pear and Sticky Fingers Ice Cream, who kept the crowd nourished and refreshed all afternoon. Their tasty meals and cool treats were a perfect fit for the warm weather - thank you both for your hard work, great food, and the positive energy you brought to the day.
Max's Mission: Looking Ahead
Overdose Awareness Day is more than a one-day event - it’s a spark for ongoing action. Thanks to your support, we distributed countless naloxone kits, trained dozens of new people in overdose response, and strengthened partnerships that will continue saving lives long after September 27th, 2025. Just as importantly, many attendees were able to connect with vital support programs programs, find community among others affected by the opioid epidemic, and discover new pathways toward healing and hope. These connections and conversations are the true legacy of Overdose Awareness Day - ripples of compassion and awareness that extend far beyond the park.
From all of us at Max’s Mission:
Thank you for showing up, speaking out, and helping build a community where everyone matters and every life is worth saving.
