Rose Park to Host Billings’ 6th Annual Overdose Awareness Event

It’s not a secret. Montana, like the rest of the country, has been grappling with the opioid crisis. And while the statistics are grim (fentanyl now kills more Americans ages 18 to 49 than car wrecks, gun violence, or suicide), the goal in Billings this month isn’t just to share numbers, it’s to remember names. It's easy to think that these overdoses only happen elsewhere. Sadly, that is not the case.

On Tuesday, September 16, Overdose Awareness MT will host Billings’ sixth annual International Overdose Awareness Day event at Rose Park, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The evening is about honoring the lives lost to accidental overdoses, reducing the stigma around addiction, and supporting prevention and recovery efforts here at home.

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Overdose Awareness MT was founded by moms who lost their children.

The organization was founded by two local mothers, Kim Edinger and Carol Keenan, who both lost young adult children. Kaden died of an overdose in 2017, and Mary Kate perished in 2016 from fentanyl poisoning. Their mission is deeply personal: to ensure that others facing the same tragedy don’t also face silence and shame.

This year’s event will feature guest speakers, food trucks, and a community walk to raise funds. Proceeds will go to Tumbleweed in Billings, which provides vital support services to youth and families in crisis. It’s part awareness campaign, part memorial, and part rallying cry for a community response to the ongoing epidemic.

The numbers remain sobering.

The CDC reports that in 2021, 292 Americans died every day from a drug overdose—three out of four involving opioids. And fentanyl, up to 50 times stronger than heroin, is the primary culprit. But behind every statistic is a person with a story, and this event is about making sure those stories are not forgotten.