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On May 2, 2026, SOS Berks hosted Rooted in Love, Growing in Memory, an event that supported those who have lost a loved one to a substance-related cause. This family-friendly event, held at The Nature Place at Angelica Creek Park in Reading, featured a number of activities to promote healing. About 60 people attended, including volunteers who helped run the activities but also participated in them.
The event began with a brief introduction.
SOS Berks Member Kathy Strain addressed the audience, asserting that:
“Whether you’re holding onto hope, memory or both, know this: your presence matters, your story matters, your loved one mattered. Together, rooted in love, we will keep growing and healing and keep our loved ones close as we do.”
Strain, the Manager of Advocacy and Peer Services at Partnership to End Addiction, has lost several family members to substance use.
“Accidental overdoses and addiction impacts neighbors, families and coworkers,” said Council on Chemical Abuse Community Programs Specialist Yvonne Stroman in her introduction. “The truth is, no community has been untouched and no life is disposable. But sometimes, help can feel out of reach. Stigma, shame & fear have kept people suffering in silence.”
She reminded the audience that “help is not a one-time intervention. It is a process, a relationship, a commitment to stand with someone even when they stumble.”
Following those remarks, Jen Ryan of White Wave Restorations, provided a healing sound bath using a variety of instruments that produced a soothing, calming sound immersion.
Attendees were then invited to participate in seven different activity stations. These included: a journaling activity with prompts, stickers and markers; a make-and-take planter with forget-me-not seeds; a DIY healing sand garden with sand and miniatures; an aromatherapy station allowing people to mix their own scents; a mandala coloring station; and a healing tree with paper leaves for inspirational messages.
The stations proved popular with adults and children in attendance, who spent about an hour engaged in the activities. All of the stations were optional, and people could choose to participate in any or all of them. Food was also provided, and space was available inside and out to allow people the opportunity to take breaks, enjoy a snack and mingle with one another.
The final activities featured a tree planting on the property of The Nature Place at Angelica Park and a concluding trail walk through the park. Prior to the tree planting, participants were invited to write the name of a loved one, or a message on a slip of paper. The papers were then placed at the bottom of a pre-dug hole and planted with the tree–a flowering dogwood located just beyond a pedestrian bridge in the park. Family members helped add soil and water to the tree, and those who wished spoke about their loved ones.
The trail walk took people through a wooded path in Angelica Creek Park, once the site of Angelica Lake, and now a 100-acre nature center.
SOS Berks organized the event using Berks County Opioid Settlement Funds, in an effort to directly impact those individuals and families who have lost a loved one to an overdose or other substance-related cause. This marks the second year that SOS Berks has held an event to support grieving loved ones, but Rooted in Love, Growing in Memory, expanded on last year’s efforts by engaging people in more hands-on activities.
SOS Berks goal is to continue to expand this event in future years and to engage more community members in this annual healing activity
