23-129 Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Joins NOPE For The 2023 Candlelight Vigil; October 19, 2023
NOPE Vigil
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
-School Resource Deputies
-Community Policing Deputies
-Cadet Post 900
-Honor Guard
Department of Detention and Corrections
Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education (NOPE)
Coordinator Laurie Serra
www.nopepinellas.org
Community Partners:
City of Largo
Landon Korabek - OneLove Foundation
Suncoast Hospice – Empath Health
PINELLAS COUNTY- The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with Narcotics Overdose Prevention & Education (NOPE) to host the annual candlelight vigil.
The event will take place on Thursday, October 19, 2023, at Largo Central Park, located at 101 Central Park Drive in Largo (at the corner of East Bay Drive and Seminole Boulevard) and will begin at 7:00 p.m.
The vigil’s theme this year is: “Building Resiliency in Times of Trouble”, which aims at inspiring people to know there is always hope and the chance to move forward through recovery when battling addiction. The mission of NOPE is to diminish the frequency and impact of overdose death through community education, family support, and purposeful advocacy.
The vigil is held to reduce the stigma surrounding addiction so that those suffering with the disease will openly seek help. The event will also recognize the many in our community who are suffering from addiction; and aspires to bring hope that the community, working together, can make a difference.
The program includes inspirational messages from local leaders and performances by a local high school chorus. The night closes with a keynote speaker and the lighting of candles.
The event is free and open to the public.
Attendees who have lost a family member or friend to drugs or alcohol are encouraged to bring a picture (no larger than 5x7) to place on the memorial wall the night of the vigil.
The event is being hosted by Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education of Pinellas (NOPE), and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, partnered with the City of Largo, Landon Korabek OneLove Foundation, and Suncoast Hospice Empath Health.
The media is invited to cover the event. Please contact Deputy Jamie Miller with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Public Information Office at 727-582-6221 for additional information.
