September 18th, 2019 – Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter, members of the Town Board, the Town of Islip Opioid Task Force and the Jake K. Foundation would like to invite you, together with local merchants and businesses, to join the Town of Islip and members of the community on September 26th, 2019 to support those whose lives been affected by addiction, and the opioid/heroin crisis.

September is National Recovery Month. On Thursday, September 26, the Town of Islip will light the Town Hall Cupola purple to raise awareness of those who have been impacted by this crisis. This year’s National Recovery Month theme is: “Join the Voices for Recovery: Together We Are Stronger.”

On September 26th, businesses and merchants along Main St. in the hamlet of Islip will Go Purple (IGP), illuminating storefronts with purple lights and adorning Main St. with purple banners- IGP will be a sign of solidarity, that the Islip CommUNITY stands together, in memory of lives lost, those in recovery, those struggling, and the Islip families affected.

The Town of Islip has been in the forefront of the opioid and heroin crisis, officially designating The Town of Islip Opioid Task Force in 2018 to address this issue. In 2017, more than 70,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdose. This loss of human life exceeds the total number of American deaths in the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined.

The Town of Islip’s September 26th, 2019 event is an inaugural event, that will kick-off a Town-wide, month-long awareness campaign in September 2020.

We cordially invite you to support our effort, and to please join us at 4:30 pm at Town Hall, 655 Main St., Islip.