By Zach Stevenson
Salisbury Post

SALISBURY — Ashley Creek is sober after spending time in several recovery centers and she told her story at Hope Over Heroin in Kannapolis on Friday night.

“Jesus has transformed my life, and these faith-based recovery centers showed me there’s more to life than heroin and methamphetamine.”

The purpose of the Hope Over Heroin event was to remember and honor loved ones, and to provide resources to prevent others from being lost to an addiction of any kind.

Hope Over Heroin is a nonprofit that was started out of Ohio. Its goal is to reach out to some of the cities hardest hit by addiction, and help show the possibility of overcoming addiction. Four pastors founded the organization in 2014 after 14 deaths occurred in their county — deaths caused by heroin addiction.

The main focus of the event was the “City of Resources.”

Many resource tents were set up from churches to facilities offering treatment. Some were small faith-based organizations in the area. One of these organizations was Capstone, a seven-month women’s recovery program in Salisbury.

Creek, a former methamphetamine user and severe alcoholic, is finishing up her recovery at Capstone.

There were also a number of tents that would link families to different resources and recovery options, one of these being Cardinal Innovations.

Many tents were, however, full of rehabilitation centers, where patients could essentially stay and have their life changed. One is Salem Baptist Church, where they have a house dedicated to rehab and getting patients back on their feet, helping them get a job, and staying accountable.

Another organization was a men’s fitness group, F3 Nation. They have meetings every week in different towns, and a website to connect former addicts. They work out, fellowship and serve as accountability partners to each other.

After the event started, a crowd emerged from the tunnel that led back to the main road. Members of the crowd carried multicolored balloons, singing a worship song in perfect harmony. Each balloon meant something different — the red ones were for someone lost to addiction, and each person’s name was written on the balloon.

Everyone walked out to the main field to the stage, where the speaker led the crowd in prayer. There was a 30-second moment of silence to honor those passed.

The feeling of love in the air resounded, and what was thought by some to be a depressing event turned out to be very supportive and uplifting. After the silence, everyone let their balloons go, and into the sky they rose.

This event showed that many are lost to addiction, but the community can still make a difference.

For more information about Hope Over Heroin, visit www.hopeoverheroin.com or call 844-HOPE-777.