'We've been busy': Moms' antidrug billboard campaign now extends beyond Florida.

Austin L. Miller, Ocala Star-Banner
·2 min read
10

The first billboard went up earlier this year. There have been two others since then. All are in Marion County.

Now Picking Up The Pieces has added another billboard — this time in Omaha, Nebraska.

The billboards show the faces of those who have died from drug overdoses. They also include a message of hope.

"We've been busy," said Michelle Pepin, founder of Picking Up The Pieces. The group's mission: "to reduce or prevent the harms of alcohol and other drug use through education, intervention and advocacy."

Why Nebraska? Pepin said residents from that state reached out to her on Facebook about doing something similar in their community. She said people from other states have made similar inquiries.

Pepin and Lisa Bolton of The Dandelion Project/M.U.T.E. (Mother's United To Educate) are fighting to save one life at a time. Both women have lost a child to a drug overdose. Pepin's son, Ian Nelson, died on April 20, 2018. Bolton lost her daughter, Kerri Elizabeth Fernley, whose birthday is Aug. 14.

"This is my fifth birthday without her. What I do is for her legacy," Bolton said.

Faces of those who died from drug overdose
Faces of those who died from drug overdose

Future billboards

M.U.T.E. is a group of mothers who have lost children to drugs. They have come together to raise awareness and educate the community about drug abuse, mental health and suicide. Bolton, Pepin and MaryBeth Moore Zocco are founders of the group.

Bolton's Dandelion Project is designed to help those struggling with mental health or drug use through education and awareness.

Picking Up the Pieces is hoping to add billboards in Lake County and Massachusetts. Funding for the billboards comes from the founders' pockets and from donations from parents who have lost a child to drug use.

For more information about the billboards, contact pickingupthepieces2020@gmail.com or call (352) 816-3793.

Picking Up The Pieces is hosting an Overdose Awareness event on Aug. 31 on the Ocala downtown square, 1 SE Broadway St., from 5-8 p.m.

Recognition: International Bereaved Mother's Day is recognized in Ocala

The public is invited to join and share their stories of addiction, loss and recovery.

The group wants those who attend to help them spread the word and talk to the community about this deadly epidemic "as we honor our loved ones and continue the fight to end Substance Use Disorder!"

Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Drug abuse and its consequences are being tackled by local moms