On Sep 26th, 2024, all states East of the Mississippi are invited to power up the largest day of naloxone distribution to date.
[Please note the revised date: *Sep 26th*! After careful consideration, we pushed the date one week forward from what it was previously so as not to conflict with Healing Appalachia and another regional event.]
“Save a Life Day” events grow bigger every year. Last year, all 13 Appalachian states joined together and distributed over 45,000 naloxone doses in a single day. Over 300 sites participated!
Want to put your community on the map for Sep 26th? It’s not too early! Sign up here.
All groups will be supported with monthly planning calls starting in early 2024, with design and outreach templates, a mega map anyone can use to find your events, and a sweet box of swag and anti-stigma materials to give out.
Check out some photos from the 2023 day of action below!
We’re still thrilled as could be for last year’s (2023) Appalachian Save a Life Day sponsors!
Save a Life Day 2024 State & County Contacts
| Alabama | ||
| Tuscaloosa | Braden Hopkins | [email protected] |
| Connecticut | ||
| Danbury | Leah Maier | [email protected] |
| New Milford | Leah Maier | [email protected] |
| Torrington | Leah Maier | [email protected] |
| Waterbury | Leah Maier | [email protected] |
| Florida | ||
| Hillsborough | Monica Gonzalez | [email protected] |
| Miami-Dade | Thomas Guerra | [email protected] |
| Georgia | ||
| Chatham | Lesli Messinger | [email protected] |
| Ware | Allena Thomas | [email protected] |
| Illinois | ||
| Bureau | Courtney VanSchaick | [email protected] |
| Cook | Jeanne Porges | [email protected] |
| Lasalle | Courtney VanSchaick | [email protected] |
| Putnam | Courtney VanSchaick | [email protected] |
| Indiana | ||
| Clay | ||
| Daviess | Shaina Bradley | [email protected] |
| Greene | ||
| Knox | ||
| Marion | Jeri Zawadzki | [email protected] |
| Parke | ||
| Pike | Dawn Lehmkuhler | [email protected] |
| Sullivan | ||
| Vermillion | ||
| Vigo | ||
| Kentucky | ||
| Adair | Gail Cummins | [email protected] |
| Fayette | Samantha Adams | [email protected] |
| Madison | Aubrey Valentine | [email protected] |
| McCreary | Gail Cummins | [email protected] |
| Pike | Laura Fraley | [email protected] |
| Pulaski | Gail Cummins & Aubrey Valentine | [email protected], [email protected] |
| Wayne | Gail Cummins | [email protected] |
| Maryland | ||
| Allegany | Melissa Clark | [email protected] |
| Frederick | Marisa Shields | [email protected] |
| Garrett | Melissa Clark | [email protected] |
| Mississippi | ||
| Isabella | Anna Reetz | [email protected] |
| Hinds | Lorinda Tomlinson | [email protected] |
| Missouri | ||
| St. Louis | Pam Shaw | [email protected] |
| New Jersey | ||
| Hunterdon | Amanda Kovacs | [email protected] |
| Somerset | Amanda Kovacs | [email protected] |
| New York | ||
| Herkimer | Maureen Petrie | [email protected] |
| Otsego | Abigail Mosenthin | [email protected] |
| North Carolina | ||
| Jackson | Lee Gibson | [email protected] |
| Mecklenburg | Patrice Brown | [email protected] |
| Ohio | ||
| Belmont | Lori Bolen | [email protected] |
| Harrison | Lori Bolen | [email protected] |
| Licking | Patricia Perry | [email protected] |
| Montgomery | Dana Fleetham | [email protected] |
| Washington | Kelly Ortiz | [email protected] |
| Pennsylvania | ||
| STATE HUB | Heather Barna-Dowling | [email protected] |
| Bucks | Tara Calderbank | [email protected] |
| Carbon | Heather Barna-Dowling | [email protected] |
| Lackawanna | Gary McMurtrie | [email protected] |
| Lebanon | Susan Wright | [email protected] |
| Luzerne | Heather Barna-Dowling | [email protected] |
| Monroe | Heather Barna-Dowling | [email protected] |
| Montgomery | Tara Calderbank | [email protected] |
| Northampton | Tara Calderbank | [email protected] |
| Pike | Heather Barna-Dowling | [email protected] |
| Schuylkill | Heather Barna-Dowling | [email protected] |
| Washington | Breanne Pugh | [email protected] |
| Westmoreland | Gita Sharma | [email protected] |
| South Carolina | ||
| STATE HUB | Rollie Martinson | [email protected] |
| Lexington | Amber Frazier | [email protected] |
| Richland | Amber Frazier | [email protected] |
| Virginia | ||
| Giles | Chris Alderman | [email protected] |
| Page | Megan Rohrbaugh | [email protected] |
| Portsmouth | Ashanti Kincannon | [email protected] |
| Pulaski | Chris Alderman | [email protected] |
| Roanoke City | Nicole Davidson-Wert, Bailey Helgeson | [email protected], [email protected] |
| Rockingham | Megan Rohrbaugh | [email protected] |
| Shenandoah | Megan Rohrbaugh | [email protected] |
| Vermont | ||
| STATE HUB | Richard Elliott | [email protected] |
| Bennington | ||
| Chittenden | Richard Elliott | [email protected] |
| Rutland | Katherine Foote | [email protected] |
| Wilmington | Tami Jackson | [email protected] |
| Windham | ||
| West Virginia | ||
| STATE HUB | SOAR WV | [email protected] |
| Berkeley | Caroline Wilson & Stephanie Stout | [email protected], [email protected] |
| Boone | Alisha Woodson & Bridget Chafin | [email protected], [email protected] |
| Cabell | Erin Dalton | [email protected] |
| Clay | Natalie Starcher | [email protected] |
| Doddridge | Brian Lipscomb | [email protected] |
| Fayette | Paula McCutcheon | [email protected] |
| Gilmer | Jessica Greenlief | [email protected] |
| Greenbrier | Kimberly Raleigh | [email protected] |
| Hampshire | Desree Guthrie | [email protected] |
| Jefferson | Katie Blunt | [email protected] |
| Kanawha | Joe Solomon | [email protected] |
| Marion | Raven Berkey | [email protected] |
| Mineral | Bren Bland | [email protected] |
| Mingo | Katrina Blankenship | [email protected] |
| Morgan | Caroline Wilson & Stephanie Stout | [email protected], [email protected] |
| Nicholas | Kimberly Raleigh | [email protected] |
| Pocahontas | Kimberly Raleigh | [email protected] |
| Upshur | Judy Utley | [email protected] |
| Webster | Kimberly Raleigh | [email protected] |
Save a Life Day 2024 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What’s the date again?
September 26, 2024! Going forward, Save A Life Day will be on the 4th Thursday of September every year.
What states are invited to participate for Save a Life Day 2024?
All states East of (aka this side of) the Mississippi River are invited to participate this year! That means folks in:
Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin + Washington DC, Puerto Rico, & the U.S. Virgin Islands.
What’s the difference between organizing a county and organizing an event?
Organizing a county means you will be the point-of-contact between the Save A Life Day Coordinating Team and your county- letting us know when and where your county’s events are, picking up your swag-filled care package, and taking the lead making sure all your events have naloxone, and on press and marketing. County organizers can organize as many events as they choose!
County Organizers may coordinate with others in your county to organize multiple events. For example, some counties rock one event- others support 2-3 or up to a dozen events across their county. It’s all ok!
Since the County Organizer’s name/email will be listed on the Save a Life Day website, other folks in your county may reach out to you for help or with a desire to organize an event too ( i.e. an Event Organizer!). This person/organization may be able to provide their own naloxone and volunteers, or they may need assistance from their County Organizer.
Each County Organizer will also be sent a swag and supply box – it’s your responsibility to split up these supplies with other Save a Life Day sites across your county.
What should I expect from the Save a Life Day Coordinating team?
You can expect some rock star support. The Coordinating team invites you to monthly planning calls (see below) to help troubleshoot and brainstorm your events. You can also email Caroline Wilson anytime @ [email protected] with questions or to set up a time to chat.
The coordinating team is also working hard to recruit sponsors in order to send every county team a pretty sweet box of anti-stigma materials and swag for your big day. The team will also be creating an epic map with everybody’s events with collaboration from County Organizers.
After Save a Life Day, the coordinating team will follow up with a survey and debrief call to inform 2025 and beyond – AND to recruit your photos for a mega archival photo album.
How do I join the monthly planning calls?
Easy- just hop on this Zoom link on the last Wednesday of the month @ 3 pm ET!
Upcoming dates are: May 29, June 26, July 31, Aug. 28, Sept. 25, Oct. 30
Do I have to spend money for a Save A Life Day event?
It’s totally optional! Although some organizers choose to buy materials such as signs, banners, t-shirts, or anti-stigma swag (like bumper stickers, backpacks, & pins), we understand that this isn’t for everybody. A Free Naloxone Event can be held with no more than a table, chair, handmade sign, and a whole lot of Narcan!
How do I get started with organizing my county?
We have some great resources for County Organizers to get started with planning events tailored to their communities. 10 Steps to Prep for your Save A Life Day includes a step-by-step plan for event organizing, while the Organizing Timeline gives organizers an idea of when to start each organizing activity.
Where do I get naloxone?
Every state is different. Unfortunately, the Save a Life Day planning team does not supply naloxone. We recommend reaching out to your local harm reduction group or statewide network (map), your local health department, or checking out this map of free naloxone programs. Some states have statewide agencies that supply naloxone to distributing organizations. You can also try reaching out to other county organizers in your state.
Naloxone can be purchased via Remedy Alliance – a stellar nonprofit that offers discounted as well as free naloxone. Direct Relief, another great nonprofit that offers free medical supplies, sometimes has free naloxone available. Your group can apply to work with Direct Relief here.
If we can help troubleshoot, please get in touch!
How can I get a free naloxone pick-up box?
CareSource is sponsoring 50 free naloxone boxes for all states East of the Mississippi (this is the box). This means there will be 1-2 boxes available per state. Please fill out this online application to put your name in the hat. The Save a Life Day planning team will review applications and inform applicants by the end of June. Boxes ought to ship in August.
Where do I find the graphics and templates I can use?
You can check out the full collection in this online folder. In that folder, you’ll see a document that includes multiple Canva templates–including a facebook event image you can customize. In the folder, you’ll also see “I Carry Naloxone” sticker designs, t-shirt graphics, yard sign files, and more.
Do I have to use your designs?
You can use whatever you want – including your own designs, or re-mixing any of the Save of a Life Day designs. Take or leave whatever is helpful. We trust your creativity and passion to build inclusive anti-stigma materials that help connect and reach more people in your community!
Where should I order swag from?
Local print and merch shops are great for brochures, yard signs, stickers, t-shirts, and more! We’ve also had some luck with a few vendors and you can check them out in this spreadsheet.
What’s the plan/date for 2025?
Thursday, Sep 25th 2025 is the date for 2025! We haven’t made a hard decision yet but it’s looking like if there’s interest – 2025 could be the year Save a Life Day goes fully national. If you’re west of the Mississippi and want to start making plans for 2025 – DO IT. And stay in touch. Jot a note to [email protected]. Good news is contagious!