Amid Falling State Overdose Deaths, Needham Vigil ‘Still Needed’

August 24, 2026
• After the state’s opioid-related overdose deaths fell from a record-high in 2022, Needham looks to continue to spread awareness around the issue at an annual vigil.

This article contains mentions of drug use and other sensitive subject matter.

Passing by Memorial Park in late August, small pink flags across Highland Avenue serve as a stark reminder of relatives, neighbors and community members who died at the hands of opioids.

This Thursday evening, the town will lead its fifth opioid overdose awareness vigil, where regional organizations gather to provide resources, and where those touched by addiction share their stories and lived experiences. Those pink flags will represent the number of opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts last year.

Angi MacDonnell, a peer recovery coach with the Town of Needham, said part of the vigil’s mission is to simply talk openly about addiction in the hopes it may have a positive impact.

“There’s a lot of stigma around addiction treatment, and no matter how well-meaning or educated providers are, there’s always that level of like, ‘I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do, and this person’s gonna tell me what to do,’” MacDonnell said. “When you meet with somebody who’s literally been exactly down the same path or a similar path, there’s an instant connection and an instant leveling of the playing field that is huge.”

In its first couple years, the event didn’t draw many Needhamites in addiction or recovery, MacDonnell said, but that has changed. The vigil began in collaboration with the Becca Schmill Foundation, a nonprofit named after Deb Schmill’s daughter who died after an overdose at 18 years old.

Schmill, formerly a Needham resident, said Becca acquired cocaine online that was laced with fentanyl, a potent opioid, which led to her fatal overdose. Through the foundation, Schmill spreads awareness and advocates for policy change around youth substance use, online harms and sexual assault.

The annual vigil works to build awareness, Schmill said, but also “provides a place where folks who are struggling can feel seen and heard, and know that the community is with them.”

“For me personally, hearing the stories is emotional,” Schmill said. “Often, it’s very hopeful to hear someone talking about their experience with substance use and how they have changed their lives and are doing better and are living with it.”

In last year’s ceremony, Hayden Krug, a rising junior at Needham High School, spoke about her father, who suffered from addiction that ultimately took his life in 2023. Following her remarks, Krug said several attendees told her they were moved by her story.

Krug will speak again this Thursday, this time focusing on her own recovery in a family with addiction. She sees the vigil as an annual remembrance for those lost to overdose.

Krug and other members of SALSA — Students Advocating for Life without Substance Abuse — will be present for the vigil.

“There’s a lot of bad stigma around addiction and the people who are addicts,” Krug said, “and I think removing that is a really big goal of SALSA and I think the vigil as a whole.”

Opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts last year fell to their lowest since 2013, with 978, which is 27% lower than the number of deaths in 2024. That’s also down from a record high 2,364 deaths in 2022, though the numbers are still far above totals prior to the prevalence of fentanyl.

While she’s encouraged by fewer deaths, MacDonnell said the numbers are still historically high. That sentiment tracks with the vigil’s theme this year: 25 years on, still needed.

“The numbers are going down, but one death from overdose is awful and unnecessary because we have naloxone and we have the Safe Spot hotline in Massachusetts [800-972-0590],” she said. “So yes, we’ve seen a significant change, but nowhere near where it was prior to the opioid epidemics.”

During the vigil, the Needham Public Health Division will dispense around 50 containers of naloxone, or NARCAN, the nasal kit that can reverse opioid overdoses. MacDonnell said free canisters are available at their Rosemary Recreation Complex offices and elsewhere in town, including the Needham Free Public Library.

For those seeking support or guidance, MacDonnell encouraged people to contact her for peer-to-peer coaching, as well as the Massachusetts Substance Use Hotline: 1-800-327-5050.

Ahead of Thursday, Krug said she’s thinking about the messaging she hopes to send about her dad and others who experience addiction.

“Just because my dad was an addict doesn’t mean he was a bad person. He was an amazing person. It just turned him into something that he wasn’t,” she said. “I think understanding that for a lot of people is important… They’re not bad people, they’re just struggling, and I think that’s a big message that I want to send.”

The vigil is Thursday from 6:30-7 p.m. at the Memorial Park gazebo.