MILWAUKEE —  In a solemn display, 668 purple flags fluttered in the wind on Saturday, each representing a life lost to overdose in Milwaukee County this year.

Among those who paid tribute was Erika Van Allen whose best friend, Cassie Benning, died from an overdose in April 2023 at the age of 33.

“She had given me Narcan about a month before she passed away and she said if I ever overdose, give this to me,” Van Allen said. “At the time, I was completely uneducated and naive to all things harm-reduction including Narcan and when I found her, I did have it, but I didn’t know how to use it.”

Van Allen, who battled a crack cocaine addiction for two decades, said she has now been sober for more than a year. She has since dedicated herself to helping others to get educated. She teaches them how to administer Narcan, an overdose-reversal drug.

She said her work at Samad’s House, a sober living community, is her way of giving back.

“I think that’s the greatest gift we can give in recovery is to help others get to where they’re meant to be,” Van Allen said.

Saturday’s tribute event featured a walk and run to honor the memories of lost loved ones.

“We want to bring awareness to that because we don’t hear about it,” said Amanda De Leon, community impact manager for Community Medical Services. “These are humans that are dying, so why aren’t we doing more? We do this event so people that are out here using can come and see what resources are available.”

For many, including Van Allen, the day was both a time of mourning and a call to action.

“Throughout my recovery, my greatest ‘I don’t wish or want to do’ is to honor her in the best way possible because she wasn’t just a number on a chart,” Van Allen said.