BERWICK, Pa. — Inside the Berwick Area Middle School gymnasium, 300 pairs of shoes were displayed, representing the 300 people who lose their lives daily from drug overdoses.
"I think it really opens people's eyes that this is real, and this is happening," Camila Amya said.
The Berwick Teen Center, along with the group Jeremy's Journey, hosted a drug abuse awareness event for middle and high school students.
Michelle Creasy's son Jeremy was 27 when he died from a drug overdose.
"He was deep into a heroin addiction, and then on June 8, 2018, he took what we believe was heroin, and it was pure fentanyl," Creasy said.
Creasy and her family formed Jeremy's Journey after his death to channel their grief and help other families.
This event was held during National Red Ribbon Week, the nation's largest drug abuse prevention campaign.
The event featured three speakers, including Miss Pennsylvania Alysa Bainbridge, who lost her brother to a drug overdose.
"These are real people. These are real lives, and this actually happened. That kind of hit me because she had to listen to somebody tell her that this tragic thing had happened to her and her family," Amya said.
"It's just really impactful hearing it, and we can then learn the signs early on and what we can do to help," Kaite Caladie said.
"They all give a different aspect about addiction and their connection to it. It's been pretty powerful," Creasy said.
Community organizations were also set up inside the gymnasium to give students information and support.
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