Foster's Light in the Dark to Promote Hope at Overdose Awareness Day Candlelight Vigil

ALTON - Community members are invited to the second annual Drug Overdose Awareness Day Candlelight Vigil to promote help, hope and recovery.

From 4–8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, Riverbend residents will gather at Russell Commons Park in Alton for the event. In addition to a white dove release and the vigil, there will be several resource tables and organizations available to speak about their services, in addition to testimonials and the reading of names of people who have been lost.

“This is so important. We have each other to get through this,” said Christina Foster, who organized the event. “Everybody has been affected by this in some way, shape or form. It used to be a stigma where people didn’t want to talk about it and were ashamed. And everybody coming together just shows me that their hearts are changing. They’re all coming together from different backgrounds, but we’re there for the same reason.”

Foster created the organization Foster’s Light in the Dark to memorialize her siblings and other people who have been lost to overdose and suicide. The organization ultimately hopes to establish a park where community members can honor and remember their loved ones.

“It’s so God. And it isn’t about how they died. It’s about how they lived, that they lived,” Foster said. “Their memories should go on.”

In the meantime, the organization is eager to host the Drug Overdose Awareness Day Candlelight Vigil on Aug. 31. Foster thanked their sponsors and noted that because of them, there will be a photographer, music and t-shirts at the event.

Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford will speak, followed by Madison County Coroner Nick Novacich. Foster is especially excited to hear from Pastor Bud Vickery, who ministers at Restoration Church in Granite City and oversees the church’s Celebrate Recovery chapter. Vickery will share his testimony about overcoming substance use.

Williams Family White Dove Release has donated their services for a dove release, and the vigil itself will memorialize those who have been lost. The organization will read the names of these community members. Attendees are invited to wear colored beads to symbolize their relationships to people who have been lost.

But Foster emphasized that while the event is a chance to remember, it’s also about hope. Resources like Amare, Sacred Spaces of CARE, OSF Healthcare, Chestnut Health Systems, Narcotics Anonymous, Celebrate Recovery, and other organizations will be present to share their services with the community.

“If they want help, this is the place to get it,” she said. “All they’ve got to do is reach out and ask for help.”

Foster will also keep track of how many years attendees are clean or sober. At the conclusion of the evening, she will announce how much “clean time” they have at the event. She looks forward to sharing this hope with the community.

“We have to stand united against this. We have to make waves to get people help,” she added. “It’s great because I was them at one time. I didn’t have any hope. I just want them to know that no matter what, they’re not alone.”

For more information about Foster’s Light in the Dark 2nd Annual Drug Overdose Awareness Day Candlelight Vigil, visit the official Facebook event page.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

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