Islanders are invited to gather for a candlelight vigil for those lost to overdose, to remember them as family, friends, and neighbors, and, as the mother of one said, to affirm that the circumstances of their deaths do not define them.
The vigil is scheduled for Tuesday, August 31 at 7 PM at the Fiske Field Basketball courts off Bateman Road. The date marks International Overdose Awareness Day. The location marks a favorite place of Evan Kraus, an Islander who died of a drug overdose in March 2020.
His mother, Gina Kraus, initiated the vigil as a way for the community to come together following the death of another Islander, Swainson Brown, who authorities say died after using fentanyl-laced cocaine.
Brown, a long-time chef at the Pridwin Hotel who brightened Islanders’ spirits during the pandemic with amazing baked goods, was one of six East Enders to die as a result of fentanyl-laced cocaine in a two-week period this summer.
At least two other people survived overdoses caused by this especially hazardous drug combination, authorities say.
International Overdose Awareness Day is an annual global event that aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief families and friends feel, remembering those who have died or had a permanent injury due to a drug overdose.
The vigil is co-sponsored by Shelter Island, the Shelter Island Health & Wellness Alliance, the Shelter Island Public Library, and HUGS Inc.
Evan’s bench
In May 2020, the Shelter Island Fall 5K donated the bench in Kraus’ memory and placed it at the Fiske Field courts because Evan loved basketball and could be found playing there for hours at a time, said M.E. Adipietro, a nurse who is director of the annual foot race.
“Addiction has a big negative connotation behind it, but there are true faces behind those we have lost, and Evan was a beloved supporter of the Shelter Island Fall 5k and its mission,” Adipietro said. “He had a heart of gold, and we will always remember Evan.”
Gina Kraus says the bench isn’t just for Evan, “but for everyone that we have lost and it’s for everyone who is suffering, and it’s for families because it is families that it happens to.”
“To me, this acknowledged that Evan was not defined by the disease of addiction because he was so much more,” she said in a recent interview. “His strength to be happy and his fight to be happy is what the message is. He loved hard, and we loved him, and that never changed.”
“Evan was thriving before he died, and this disease wants to kill you, and it’s a monster, and there’s a misconception that these people are not worthy,” Kraus said. “When people have cancer, the friends and family come and support you, and when you say you have an addiction, people cringe and run the other way.”
After hearing the news of the recent overdose deaths, Kraus got in touch with Shelter Island Town Social Worker Lucille Buergers, who brought together the other sponsors.
“It’s a good message to let kids know that it’s not shameful to tell or get help,” Kraus said. “We need to come together and let people know that it’s a terrible disease.”
“It’s my hope that we can support and remember just as if someone had died of cancer,” she said.
Join the candlelight vigil for those lost to overdose
All are welcome to participate; organizers will provide candles. Gina Kraus will speak, as will Town Supervisor Gerry Siller, Town Councilman Jim Colligan, and other community members.
Among the expected speakers is Drew Scott, a member of Southampton’s Drug Task Force, and HUGS Inc., a Westhampton-based nonprofit that provides education strategies to reduce high-risk behaviors, particularly among youth.
The Rev. Stephen D. Adkinson, pastor of the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, will lead those in attendance in prayer and a moment of silent remembrance. Sara Mundy is to sing the closing song.
Additional support will be provided by the Shelter Island Police Department and various East End mental health groups.
Overdose Awareness Day worldwide
International Overdose Awareness Day is the world’s largest annual campaign to end preventable overdose. Initiated in Australia 20 years ago, it has spread around the globe to raise awareness of overdose and stimulate action and discussion about evidence-based overdose prevention and drug policy.
Learn more at https://www.overdoseday.com.
Suffolk County health officials are urging residents to get naloxone (Narcan) training (read more in this Gazette post). Community Action for Social Justice will hold a Narcan training session and issue Narcan kits to participants at the Shelter Island Public Library on Thursday, September 2 at 5:30 PM.
