Pubdate: Sat, 12 Sep 2015
Source: Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Copyright: 2015 Morning Journal
Contact:  http://www.morningjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3569
Author: Carol Harper

HOPE OVER HEROIN PREVAILS

Participants at a Hope Over Heroin kickoff event braved cold wind and 
rain for a chance to mingle and find like-minded individuals in a winnable war.

Hope Over Heroin organizers delayed a start of a program until about 
8 p.m. Sept. 11 to allow rain to pass.

Rev. Tim Williams, Greater Victory Christian Ministries, 559 Reid 
Ave., Lorain, estimated about 600 people attended the event in spite 
of the rain.

"You don't see many homeless people out here getting cold and wet," 
Williams said, "because if you're homeless and you get wet, you're 
wet and cold all night."

Rev. Mike Payne, Cathedral of Life, 5375 Jaycox Road, North 
Ridgeville, said his church trained 152 people to pray with others at 
the altar during services Sept. 11 and 12 at Hope Over Heroin.

"We prepared them to talk to folks about coming to Christ as Lord," 
Payne said. "I wish the weather was better.

But I feel great about this, to see a lot of churches and city 
officials coming together in unity to fight this dreaded addiction 
called heroin."

Passing out fliers, Georgia Roysdon of Elyria, invited women to 
attend Lifeline, a support group at Cross Community Church, 525 N. 
Abbe Road, Elyria.

"Our goal is to support families through prayer and to break the 
chains of bondage on families," Roysdon said.

"Prayer starts with the mother and breaking the chains of addiction 
on the family. So we came out to support women."

The Rev. Dr. Louis Kayatin, pastor of Church on the North Coast, 4125 
N. Leavitt Road, Lorain, said the event is about solidarity because 
there is too much heroin addiction and overdose.

"This is our country. This is our city. This is our community. Let's 
take ownership of it," Kayatin said.

The Hope Over Heroin event includes help for people who are addicted, 
counseling for addicts and their loved ones, and drug treatment 
options, Kayatin said.

On both days, a City of Resources opens at 5 p.m., said Rev. John 
Hughes, Lighthouse Baptist Church, 300 Washington Ave., Suite 109, Lorain.

"It's a way to offer non-threatening help for those who are 
addicted," Hughes said Sept. 10.

"We're asking people who are on heroin to come and get help. There's 
plenty of room for all Lorain County residents."

Forty agencies agreed to be available Friday night and Saturday at 
Black River Landing, Kayatin said, offering help and hope.

"This is for the addicted and their families," Kayatin said.

The organizers plan to make everyone in the community feel invited 
and welcome at Hope Over Heroin.

"We need the community to rise up and say, 'We are going to make a 
difference,' " Kayatin said.

Even if someone has not lost a loved one, but is concerned about 
heroin from a distance - hearing or reading about it - their help is 
needed, Hughes said.

"We're going to support this because we believe prayer works," Hughes 
said for his church. "Our mission is to reach out to those who are 
homeless and those who are addicted to drugs. This goes right along 
with our mission."

Today, organizers hope to thunder downtown Lorain with hundreds of 
motorcycles in a parade. Lineup begins at 2:30 p.m. at Black River Landing.

Everyone who cares about the heroin epidemic in Lorain County and in 
Ohio is invited to march or to ride in the parade, which begins at 4 
p.m., heads up Broadway Avenue to Lorain City Hall for a ceremony and 
speeches from Mayor Chase Ritenauer and Police Chief Cel Rivera, then 
goes back to Black River Landing for a 5 p.m. opening of City of 
Resources and a 7 p.m. main event.

"The ending is a special thing Saturday night," Kayatin said.

"We're going to call all families who have lost a loved one up front 
to light a candle for the person who was taken by a heroin overdose. 
I've got 2,000 candles. I hope that's enough.

"On Aug. 20 we had a service and about a dozen people came forward 
and said, 'I lost a sister. I lost a mother. I lost a daughter.' "

The group of churches and concerned citizens refuse to let go of 
these issues until the battle is won.

"Hope Over Heroin is going to morph into what we will call, 'Hold 
Onto Hope,' or HO2H. It will be bigger, to include other social needs 
such as crime, homelessness, joblessness," Kayatin said. "We hope to 
be very active in the next 12 months. We will provide these awareness 
events saying, 'We, as a community, can make a difference. As for 
heroin addiction. This isn't going to go away soon.'

"We heard statistics from the Lorain County coroner at our last 
event. Dr. (Stephen) Evans, that man is brilliant. He is the front 
runner in bringing Narcan to the front lines for treatment."

Hope Over Heroin participants from Cincinnati and other areas arrived 
Sept. 10 and set up for the program early Sept. 11.

"Some are driving up from quite a distance," Kayatin said.

"Everybody knows somebody who has been affected by this."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom