HOW IT STARTED … The Black Poster Project was created by DEE GILLEN after losing her son, Scott, to an overdose. While preparing for an overdose awareness event in 2019, she felt it would be an impactful visual to have posters of lost loved ones displayed behind the event speakers. And impactful it was. So much so, that the project grew. And grew. And sadly, continues to grow. What started out with 50 awareness posters is now nearly 800. Each poster that enters the display is made at the request of the grieving family and at no cost to them. The posters are collectively used in a very moving exhibit entitled SILENT MEMORIALS that travels throughout New Jersey and New York.
THE DEFINITION OF TEAMWORK
TEAMWORK [ˈtēmˌwərk] NOUN … The combined action of a group of people, especially when effective and efficient.
Enter NANCY LABOV and ALUMNI IN RECOVERY. This is a special group of people in recovery. The organization’s goal is to end the stigma of addiction, save lives and work to eradicate this deadly disease process. This is done through their SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY BASED EVENTS. However, there is one very unique method they utilize — and that is including the bereaved community. By doing so, they are able to provide a real life, full spectrum picture of this DREADFUL DISEASE. The Black Poster Project is proud to partner with Alumni in Recovery to help with this mission to RAISE AWARENESS.
WHY WE DO THIS
We do it for you. We do it for us. But most importantly, we do it for anyone going through this or anyone that simply wants to understand how it can happen. Telling our stories, showing our pictures, answering questions and sharing our beloveds never takes away the pain – but it does allow us to carry it differently. It’s no easy task, but together we can make a difference.
There is a way out.
