Sunday evening, in observance with International Overdose Awareness Day, the Path of Hope memorial garden was officially dedicated.

A press release from the Weber-Morgan Health Department describes the Path of Hope as “a quiet gathering spot where members of the community can gather and remember and resolve to help protect those whose lives have been impacted by overdose.”

Bryce Sherwood — community health division director with Weber-Morgan Health Department and member of SUPER (Substance Use Prevention Emergency Response) which deals with opioid prevention, treatment and recovery — told the Standard-Examiner that there was a physical memorial lacking in the area.

“We haven’t had a place in the community that people can come to and have a memorial of sorts,” he said.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

He said they reached out to Sadie Wilde — assistant professor of health and wellness at the Weber County USU (Utah State University) Extension Office — about the prospect of making this a reality.

“A couple of years ago, we approached Sadie and asked about the possibility of having something in the Ogden Botanical Gardens,” Sherwood said. “Through Sadie and her efforts, we were able to get this spot that was kind of a dilapidated area that was a little bit of an eyesore. They said we could have it if we made it beautiful.”

Sherwood said the focus is on three main pillars of their messaging: hope, remembrance and recovery.

“Hope for those that are in treatment or hope for those who are supporting someone in their journey,” he said. “Remembering those that have passed on and are no longer with us, but also recovery — not necessarily just for those in treatment, but for those that have supported people, that have experienced the loss of a loved one. There’s a whole recovery piece for each and every one of us.”

He said that a ceremony has been held at the Ogden Botanical Gardens commemorating International Overdose Awareness Day and that this will be the first with the finished Path of Hope.

“It’s been two years of fundraising, getting our funds together, working as a collaborative effort and this is the year we get to have our garden boxes,” he said. “We’ll have purple flowers — purple is the color for opioid overdose — so we’ll have some good colors that help represent opioids in overdose.”

Wilde told the Standard-Examiner that it’s important to have a physical space like the Path of Hope.

“When we’ve discussed this as a team, I think the biggest priorities for us is to have a spot for that remembrance aspect, but also for the hope and to gather families together,” she said. “It’s important for us also to have a space during that International Overdose Awareness Day that is here for that day, but continues on throughout the year so families aren’t limited to that day to come, remember, think about their loved ones and have a visual.”

Sherwood said the physical site goes beyond being just a place to remember and celebrate lives.

“There’s a lot of stigma around mental health, opioids and overdoses,” he said. “To have something so visible in the community, we’re hoping through our efforts, beyond having this one event and having this place, we can break down those barriers of the stigma. It’s absolutely a normal part of life, sadly enough, to go through something like this — whether it’s yourself or other people — and they need to be able to talk about it more. They need to be able to support each other, and we can only do that through being more aware.”

Wilde said she sees the site accomplishing this goal.

“Opening that conversation is a huge part of it,” she said. “As families come through and see the plaque, they have to explain to their kids what this is about. I feel like it’s a great conversation-starter for community members.”

Sherwood added that, even during its construction, the Path of Hope was generating important conversations around opioid addiction and overdose.

“I was here chiseling off some of the bricks and people would come, wondering what was some wild guy doing with a pickaxe and a sledgehammer?” he said. “I got to explain to probably 5-10 people, ‘Here’s what we’re doing,’ and everybody’s just excited that we have a place that is dedicated for those who are all impacted by it.”

Sunday’s event was co-presented by Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA), USU Extension, Weber Human Services and the Weber-Morgan Health Department.