Back to School Fair
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will renew a former tradition on Saturday, Aug. 24, as it hosts the 2019 Back-to-School Fair at Westfield Wheaton. The free event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will feature fun activities and instructional materials to help kick off the new school year.
Westfield Wheaton is located at 11160 Veirs Mill Road at the intersection of Veirs Mill and University Boulevard in Wheaton. The fair will be on the lower level throughout the mall, starting near the Dick’s Sporting Goods entrance.
Free shuttle bus service to the fair will begin at 9:30 a.m. from Montgomery Blair and John F. Kennedy high schools in Silver Spring, Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Northwest High School in Germantown, Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, Watkins Mill High School in Montgomery Village and Carver Educational Services Center at 850 Hungerford Dr. in Rockville.
MCPS staff and representatives from government agencies and community organizations will be available to answer questions—in English and Spanish—on a variety of school-related and community-based topics. They will have information on curriculum and important resources.
The fair also will feature health screenings for children and adults. Free immunizations for students in Grades 7-12 will be available. Families must bring vaccination records to receive immunizations.
For more information about the fair, visit www.mcpsbacktoschoolfair.org.
Fourth Annual Overdose and Prevention Vigil
The fourth annual Overdose and Prevention Vigil is on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. The vigil commemorates International Overdose Awareness Day, a global event, aimed at raising awareness of overdose and reducing the stigma of drug-related deaths. The event will be held in the Executive Office Building cafeteria, located at 101 Monroe Street in Rockville. A resource fair featuring substance abuse prevention and treatment information will be held at 5:30 p.m.
The theme for this year’s program — We’re All in This Together — will be a gathering for education, remembrance and hope. Fatal overdoses have risen sharply and many community residents have been personally touched by addiction. One in five adults experience a mental health issue each year and yet there remains stigma attached to the issues of mental illness and addiction which often causes people to suffer silently. Organizers hope by rallying together as a community, Montgomery County can combat the isolation and shame that can stand in the way of prevention, treatment, support and recovery.
Those wishing to have a loved one memorialized in a video can send up to eight photos, with name, date of birth and date of death to mcrememberingourlovedones@gmail.com. Submissions are needed by Thursday, Aug. 22.
The event is hosted by S.O.U.L. (Surviving Our Ultimate Loss), a support group for families who have lost a child to a fatal overdose, in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Circuit Court’s Adult Drug Court and the City of Rockville.
Free parking is available in the jury parking lot located at the corner of East Jefferson (Rt. 28) and Monroe Streets.
For more information, call 240-777-1400.
Free Training on Naloxone
Residents concerned about a friend or family member with an opioid addiction are invited to attend a free training to learn about reducing unintentional and life-threatening opioid overdoses with the use of Naloxone, a prescription medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.
The two-hour training will be offered Tuesday, Aug, 27, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Department of Health and Human Services, 401 Hungerford Drive, Rockville
Participants who complete the training will receive a free Naloxone kit. Tips on overdose prevention and resources detailing local and national resources will be provided. The training is free but registration is required. Email OverdoseResponseProgram@montgomerycountymd.gov or call 240-777-1836 to register.