Addiction is a terrible disease, not just for those directly suffering, but also for their family members who often share in its effects. Those who are trying to overcome the illness need their family’s and community’s support, and those who are achieving recovery should be celebrated.

Those are the goals of the first town-sponsored “Recovery Rally,” scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24 from noon to 3 p.m. on the Town Common. The rally intends to encourage those going through the recovery process and help others just starting down the path to recovery, according to Emily Spence, of the Bristol Health Equity Zone, who organized the event.

“We are celebrating people considering recovery or in recovery,” Ms. Spence said. “We want to help them get the information and the help that they need. We hope it will be celebratory in nature.”

Part of the program may also be emotional in nature. A number of speakers are expected to share their personal experiences dealing with addiction or helping a loved one overcome the disease. Among them is Melissa Milhomens, founder of local group Hope is Alive, who organized a similar rally in August at Independence Park. Ms. Milhomens knows all too well how difficult addiction can be on sufferers and their families, and how important it is to have resources available.

“I was at my wits’ end,” she said in August, noting a family member  suffered from addiction, but was able to get the help he needed and has been free of heroin for more than eight months. “Kids are dying because they don’t know what to do or where to go.”

Hope is Alive is one of several local and statewide organizations expected to attend the rally to distribute information to the community. CODAC Behavioral Healthcare, Anchor Recovery, Bristol-Warren STAND, PONI (Preventing Overdose and Naloxone Intervention) and the RI Department of Behavioral Health Care are among the dozen or so organizations scheduled to attend.

The rally will also feature plenty of family entertainment, including live music by Colby James, a karate demonstration by Ernie’s Karate, Zumba and Yoga classes from Bristol Total Fitness and demonstrations by the Bristol Police and Fire departments.

The rally is organized by the Bristol Health Equity Zone, “a community-wide effort funded by the Rhode Island Department of Health to create innovative approaches that can reduce and manage chronic diseases, promote healthy lifestyles, assure healthy child development, and create environments where healthy choices are easier to make.” 

Supported by the Bristol Parks & Recreation Department and funded by a Centers for Disease Control grant, the Bristol HEZ aims to help improve the community’s overall health, focusing on four specific areas — food and nutrition, mental health, physical activity and substance abuse.