A dozen Mainers recently gathered at the Damariscotta home of Peter Bruun to honor their children lost to overdose and discuss how to open up public conversation on this devastating topic.

“It’s a club nobody wants to belong to, but who better than this group to consider how we can educate and inform people on a topic so clouded in fear and pain, and how we can help avoid more suffering in our community?” Bruun says.

This was an early planning group for 716 Candles, a series of events Healthy Lincoln County (HLC) has engaged Peter to help create in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day, observed annually on August 31. An artist and community organizer, Bruun’s own daughter died of a heroin overdose in 2014. Since then he has used art and public programs to challenge stigma associated with mental illness and substance use.

“Peter has been nationally recognized for his art and anti-stigma work, and knows how to mobilize and organize a community effort,” notes Will Matteson, HLC Substance Use Prevention Coordinator, who is co-facilitating the project. “His approach offers new ways for us to reach out and have an impact.”

The survivors’ gathering was the first opportunity for affected families to consider together how to remember their loved ones during 716 Candles. Jenny Jordan of Alna, who lost her son Stevie in 2019, attended, along with veteran Great Salt Bay art teacher Karen Leah Hight, whose daughter Mary died of an overdose in 2020. Sharon Bailey, who leads a GRASP support group and has dedicated herself to helping grieving parents since losing her son Matthew in 2012, made the trip from Jefferson.

Jordan will sing in memory of Stevie as part of the 716 Candles programming. Bailey will contribute a purple flag for each life lost to overdose in 2022 in Maine. Others are still considering how they might participate.

These are just a few of the dozens of community members who will play meaningful roles in commemoration and awareness during the project.

“Thankfully, not everyone loses a child to addiction, but many do,” says Bruun. “Maine lost 716 people last year. That’s 716 families and communities forever transformed by grief. Thousands of Mainers are at risk of dying every day, their families and friends lying awake at night worried. If it’s not you, then you can be sure it’s someone you care about.”

716 Candles events will take place from Aug. 26 to Aug. 31, allowing for broad community participation. Events in Wiscasset, Boothbay, Damariscotta and Waldoboro will feature music and art, stories and presentations, remembrances and resource tables.

“There will be something for everyone. Some people think this issue doesn’t affect them, but it does,” says Bruun. “We all belong to this community, and we all know people in pain. We all can be a part of making things better.”

The dinner he hosted offered a glimpse of what to expect.

“We took turns sharing why we were there. Each time someone spoke of a loved one who had died, we lit a candle for them. The love and mutual support in the room was palpable, and I believe we all left that night feeling better. That’s something people have trouble understanding: In talking about it you don’t feel worse, you feel better.”

“That’s the whole point of 716 Candles,” he says.

“We come together, we share and listen and learn, we see art and hear music and celebrate lives, we address hard things once taboo, and discover love and hope and possibility for all of us in our county.”

If you’re interested in becoming involved in 716 Candles, please contact Will Matteson (wmatteson@healthylincolncounty.org) or Peter Bruun (peter@bruunstudios.com)