Families ACT! will Host a Community Candlelight Vigil for International Overdose Awareness Day, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31 at the Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Garden.

The annual gathering offers the Santa Barbara community a compassionate, judgment-free space to acknowledge the grief of family and friends left behind, remember loved ones lost to overdose, and bring localized awareness to a global public health crisis, organizers said.

The event schedule:
• 7:30 p.m. – Welcome and opening remarks by Rod Pearson, president
• 7:40 p.m. – Keynote address Wayne Mellinger
• 8 p.m. – Community Candlelight Vigil hosted by Scott Claassen

Marking its 25th anniversary, International Overdose Awareness Day was initiated in 2001 by Sally J. Finn at the Salvation Army in St. Kilda, Melbourne, Australia.

Today, it stands as the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, eliminate the surrounding stigma, and stimulate essential discussions regarding drug policy and preventative action.

The theme for 2026 — 25 Years On. Still Needed — underscores both the global progress made, and the persistent urgency required to save lives, according to Families ACT!.

“It’s essential to support those at risk and those who are grieving by offering human dignity through compassion and proper care,” said Rod Pearson, Families ACT! president.

“Our community needs to come together to end this crisis. We hope to inspire everyone to work together to prevent deaths,” he said.

Families ACT! is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Santa Barbara and dedicated to community advocacy for citizens experiencing behavioral health challenges.

The organization campaigns for the compassionate treatment of individuals living with mental health and co-occurring disorders. Families ACT! advocates for “Beds not Cells.”