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Help End Overdose - Overdose Awareness Day  AUGUST 31, 2021

Purple Sand challenge

 

Organizations and community members come and get your Purple Sand To Join The Challenge. This idea is inspired by the Red Sand Project which is used to raise awareness and spark more conversations about human trafficking by filling in the cracks of sidewalks with red sand.

 

We thought it would be a cool idea to do that for this year’s IOAD, and since the color for IOAD is purple, we have purple sand. Each grain of sand represents the millions of men and women around the world that have unfortunately been lost to overdose.

Purple Sand Image.jpg

Through this initiative and community support, we can raise awareness on addiction and overdose deaths in Hamilton County and across Southeast Tennessee. We will be putting together little baggies that will have purple sand and a card with more information and a hashtag to use and encourage others to share the experience on social media.

 

Here are details on how to post the purple sand on social media:

 

  1. Spread the purple sand that was provided outside (this can be spread in the cracks of the sidewalk or you can write a message with the sand….. really whatever you want!)

  2. Once all of the sand has been spread, take a picture of the sand and post the picture on social media platforms

  3. Use the hashtag #EndOverdose and #IOAD2021 and tag the Hamilton County Coalition in your post.

  4. Make sure to encourage others to post and repost on their social media accounts

Every Word Matters Pledge

 

We’ve been in contact with a national campaign who gave us permission to collaborate on their Every Words Matter campaign that works to end the stigma surrounding addiction by pledging to not use stigmatizing labels such as ‘junkie’ or ‘addict’, and to encourage others to do the same.

 

We have a statement that has the pledge on it, as well as, a pledge card that says
“I have taken the pledge that Every Word Matters.”

 

We are partnering with different organizations and local churches to provide the purple sand and social media graphics as well as yard signs so the public can also experience signage in their community. The graphics for the pledge are provided. Please share these graphics on your social media and with other community partners to help raise awareness and end the stigma.             

 

Here are details on how to post the Every Word Matters Pledge Challenge:

 

  1. Save the Every Word Matters Statement and Every Word Matters Pledge Card graphics to your computer

  2. Post these graphics to social media stating that you have taken the pledge and use the hashtags #AddictionMatters and #IOAD2021 and tag the Hamilton County Coalition

  3. Encourage others to post and repost on their social media accounts as well

  4. Send these graphics to other partners and community members so that we can reach as many people as possible

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