Two Davidson County parents who lost a son to a fentanyl overdose in 2021 are once again putting on two events to educate and inform locals about drug abuse and mental health.
Lorie and Mike Loomis will host the second annual Day of Recovery through their organization, Race Against Drugs, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 9 at Breeden Insurance Amphitheater in Lexington.
“People are uneducated about fentanyl and drug addiction in general,” Mike Loomis said.
The other event, Night of Remembrance, which is in its third year, will take place beginning at dusk on Aug. 30 at the Old Davidson County Courthouse in downtown Lexington. Here, the Loomises will light luminaries in remembrance of anyone who died from a drug overdose or suicide. To have a luminary lit in honor of your loved one or friend, call Loomis with the name at 336-313-1913. All the name will also be read aloud.
“We don’t want anyone to walk the walk I or my wife had to for our son,” he said.
The Day of Recovery on Aug. 9 will have many activities. For example, 12-year-old Gracie Kennedy, who published a book about the loss of her mother to drug addiction, and David Riggins a veteran who became addicted to opioids after he was injured while on active duty, will share their stories.
There will also be emotionally lighter activities, such as a performance by the Missouri-based band Last Time Down, a presentation by the worship team from Transformation Church of Lexington, inflatables and games in the Kids Zone as well as food and other vendors.
Admission is free. Other attendees expected are Lexington Mayor Jason Hayes and Mayor Pro Tem Joe Watkins along with Lexington Police Chief Robby Rummage and representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Representatives from DayMark Recovery Services, Atrium Wake Forest Baptist, Davidson Medical Ministries and Goodwill will be on hand to share community resources for drug addiction recovery and mental health.
Free NARCAN and instructions of how to use it on someone who has experienced a drug overdose will also be available.
“Hopefully we can touch one person with the events and to educate families and children on these issues of fentanyl and illicit drugs and mental health,” Loomis said.
Mainly, Loomis said, he wants to help curb the spread of fentanyl and other drugs. Since 2013, North Carolina has experienced more than 19,500 death due to fentanyl overdose, he said, including about 480 in Davidson County,
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