COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. -- Amid the red and green on the floats at Colonial Heights' annual Christmas Parade Tuesday will be one mixed with purple.
"The purple actually represents fentanyl awareness," said the float's creator and founder of Virginia Fentanyl and Substance Awareness (VFSA), Karleen Wolanin, who added awareness is exactly what she is trying to bring to the ongoing fentanyl crisis in the U.S. and Virginia. "This is an epidemic happening and the only way we can stop it is to come together and work together."
The float pays tribute to people who have been lost to substance use disorder, including a purple Christmas tree with ornaments bearing their names.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) said drug overdoses have been the leading cause of unnatural death in the Commonwealth since 2013 and opioids, specifically illicit fentanyl, have been the driving factor.
In its most recent report covering the first two quarters of 2023, VDH predicts overdose deaths will reach 2,646 -- an increase from 2022's 2,619 (which was the first year-to-year decrease since 2017-18).
It is a statistic that Wolanin said her family almost became a part of last year. That is when she said her daughter, 21, who has been suffering from substance use disorder since she was a teenager, took a painkiller that was laced with fentanyl.
"Thank gosh, you know, she pulled through that. But, every day you just worry as a parent you don't know if you're going to get that call."
Wolanin said she felt alone during that time and realized other parents and loved ones would have felt the same and it was something she wanted to change which led to her creating VFSA a few months ago and is working to turn it into a nonprofit.
"I had to speak out and I started telling people around me when I saw that it was a safe spot. More and more people kept thanking me for sharing my story and not holding it in. And I realized we're not all alone in this, you know, there's so many people in Virginia going through this," said Wolanin. "It takes one person to create a ripple effect out in the community to stand up, let go of that judgment, and know that it's a safe place."
Wolanin said her goal is to educate people about the dangers of fentanyl and tools they can use to help their loved ones, but also inform people dealing with substance use disorder on things like naloxone/Narcan, which can reverse the effects of an overdose.
"Because we can't tell kids not to use, but what we can do is educate them. A lot of parents I've talked to that have lost their kids, they didn't know this stuff," said Wolanin. "I am a parent who -- my daughter has been using for a long time. I had no clue to tell her about Narcan, test strips, and stuff…We can't tell them to stop, but we sure as heck can give them the right tools and education to help them to have a better chance at fighting for this."
Wolanin said she has already begun speaking at events in the community, including a Narcan training session last week with the Virginia Attorney General, and is planning a 5K run and lobbying state lawmakers on legislation to address the issue.
"We're going to be talking about what changes we want to see out in the community and in the state of Virginia. So, that's our goal. There's a lot coming."
Among those supporting Wolanin's mission are people who have lost loved ones to fentanyl, including Donna Watson. Her son, Troy Howlett, died from fentanyl in 2018. CBS 6 has featured stories on her story in the past.
"There's not a day that my son's not on my mind. I watch his friends, they're growing up, they're getting married, they're having children is killing me," said Watson. "I don't want anyone else to go through what I'm going through and I go through every single day.
Watson said she is already involved with around a dozen other groups but is prepared to serve on the group's board when it becomes a non-profit.
"I'm on a mission. I'm an advocate…and we're going to make this happen," said Watson, who added among her main areas of focus is removing the stigma as she said the way people treated her son during his struggles had a big impact on him. "He was so hurt, but he was fighting hard. He never gave up. I have to tell you he got really close into church and God and I believe with all my heart that's one of the reasons he got clean."
Wolanin wants to say to anyone who sees their float on Tuesday or sees her story and needs help -- to reach out to her group.
"Everyone knows this is the time. We can't just sit and not do anything anymore."
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