Featured Image:  “Angels of the Valley” banner campaign from “SPEAK UP FOR BEN” Facebook page.

Display honors those who have lost their lives in the fight with addiction 

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The nonprofit Speak Up for Ben is inviting the community to submit photos of family and friends who have lost their battles with opioids and other substance addictions for the “Angels of the Valley” banner campaign, presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Angels of the Valley was designed to raise awareness on the issue of drug overdoses and reduce the stigma associated with people who lost their battles to the disease of substance use, while also recognizing the grief felt by members of the community who have lost loved ones as a result of drug use.

Submissions will be accepted here from July 1-31 and should include name, hometown, lifespan and 50-character memorial remembrances (example: Beloved Son, Advocate of the Arts).

The banners will be displayed on the SteelStacks campus beginning on August 31 through the month of September, which is National Recovery Month.

 

The nonprofit Speak Up for Ben was founded in 2016 with the focus of destigmatizing addiction. The group provides education, support, comfort and healing to people who have struggled or are struggling with substance use disorders, as well as for their families and families who have lost loved ones. Speak Up for Ben holds educational forums, community events and programming through the OASIS Community Center in Bethlehem. More information can be found on their website: speakupforben.org.

About ArtQuest

ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events.

Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, approximately 50 percent of which are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region. ArtsQuest is a proud member of NIVA, the National Independent Venue Association.

 
Information provided to TVL by:

Nicole Harrell
ArtsQuest Director of Communications
http://www.artsquest.org/

 

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