NORTHPORT, NY – August 31, 2026
Candles and purple lights filled Northport Village Park Monday evening as neighbors gathered for the 25th annual Overdose Awareness Day Candlelight Vigil, presented by AWARE Drug & Alcohol Community Coalition.
Families brought photos and wrote names on luminaries to remember loved ones lost to overdose, honor those in recovery and support those still struggling. The evening centered on remembrance, reflection and the reminder that no family has to face addiction or grief alone.
For the Huntington Matters team, this one hits close to home. Members of our own team have experienced the loss of loved ones and the impact of addiction within our families. We know these aren’t just statistics. They are sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, parents and friends who are loved and deeply missed.
Grief We Learn to Carry
AWARE President Pastor David Cziesel spoke about grief as something that doesn’t simply disappear with time, particularly when grieving someone “that we can no longer wrap our arms around.” He told those gathered that grief changes us and becomes something we learn to carry, but there is strength in carrying it together.
“And when we stand together, we heal together.”
Cziesel closed his reflection with a prayer for those lost, those still struggling and the families who love them, asking for “peace that enables us to move forward without forcing us to leave our loved ones behind.”
Young Voices for Prevention
Chloe Kang, an incoming junior at Northport High School and co-president of One Life, AWARE’s student-led youth coalition, spoke about the role young people can play in addressing substance misuse and mental health. She said teens can quickly tune out traditional lectures about drugs and alcohol, making youth voices an important part of prevention.
“We refuse to wait around for change to happen later on. We are taking action right now.”
Kang described One Life’s work around mental health, environmental action and substance misuse prevention, including efforts to replace stigma with open conversations where asking for help is viewed as a strength. She called Recovery Month a demonstration of “hope, resilience and community strength” and said recovery is achievable when a community stands together.
‘I Didn’t Want to Watch My Father Die’
High school senior Kendall Brooks shared the deeply personal impact her father’s addiction has had on her life. When she was just 11 years old, Brooks found her father seizing and turning blue after an overdose. She found Narcan in the medicine cabinet, administered it and called for help.
“All I knew was I didn’t want my dad to die. I didn’t want to watch my father die.”
Her father survived, but Brooks spoke about the milestones addiction has taken from their relationship and urged those listening to learn how to use Narcan and keep it available.
“The only reason that he is still here today is because of Narcan.”
She closed by reminding those struggling and the families who love them that support is always there and never to be afraid to call 911.
Every Light Has Meaning
AWARE Executive Director Linda Oristano spoke about the power of simply continuing to show up for someone who is struggling. She shared a story of one person who refused to give up on someone battling addiction, and how years later, after finding recovery, that person offered the same hope to someone else.
“Hope gets passed from one person to another, and sometimes we never know how far that hope will travel.”
Oristano compared that hope to the lights surrounding the crowd that evening.
“One light can light another without losing any of its own light. And then that light can light another.”
The luminaries carried names of people lost to overdose, people in recovery and those still struggling. Others carried messages of hope. Oristano asked everyone to look at the lights around them before the evening moved into its most solemn moment.
“Every light has meaning. And tonight every name deserves to be heard.”
Sharon Richmond and Pastor David Cziesel then stood together and read the names aloud as the community listened in remembrance.
For 25 years, this vigil has given families a place to say those names, carry their memories forward and stand beside others who understand the loss, the struggle and the hope.
Together in Remembrance. Together in Recovery.
Photography by Dana E. Richter and June Margolin.
