Greensboro, Guilford County Host Black Balloon Day March 6 Honoring Overdose Victims

The City of Greensboro’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) team and the Guilford County Division of Public Health’s Drug and Injury Prevention Program will host Black Balloon Day from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, March 6 at LeBauer Park, 208 N. Davie St., to honor lives lost to drug overdose and provide community resources. The event is open to the public and is intended as both a remembrance and a harm-reduction outreach.

Attendees will be invited to write the names of loved ones lost to overdose on black balloons; organizers stress that balloons will not be released. Memorial yard signs will be displayed, and people may bring a photo of a loved one for display — submitted photos will not be returned. The program will include guest speakers, informational tables, door prizes, music and refreshments, and LEAD staff and Guilford County public health personnel will be on site to distribute naloxone.

Black Balloon Day began as a family remembrance. “Diane and Lauren Hurley started Black Balloon Day to honor the life of their relative, Greg Tremblay, a husband and father of four, who died at 38 from an overdose in 2015,” according to local coverage of the observance; communities across the country now observe the day to draw attention to the opioid epidemic. Locally, organizers point to national data to underline the stakes: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “drug overdose is one of the leading causes of accidental death in the United States.”

The LEAD program running the event operates within the City of Greensboro’s Community Safety Department, which the city describes as working on public safety initiatives focused on prevention, crisis intervention and long-term case management. That approach, city materials say, aims to address mental health challenges, addiction and homelessness that can lead to repeated contact with law enforcement. Mary Houser, identified in local coverage as LEAD case coordinator, has worked in drug courts and with people battling addiction and told reporters that “the best way to help anyone is to meet them where they are. She said the issue of being an addict is not talked about enough.”

Practical notes for attendees include the explicit photo policy and the balloon policy: photos left for display will not be returned, and balloons will not be released. The event on Friday, March 6 runs for two hours at LeBauer Park, and Guilford County public health staff will be available at tables to provide naloxone and connect people with injury prevention resources. The observance combines memorial elements and community outreach intended to both honor lives lost and connect neighbors to lifesaving services.