After two young men and former athletes lost their lives to addiction, their former coach decided it was time to do something. That is when Alan Bubalo of Washington, Indiana reached out to 7 Sisters in Evansville. Bubalo offered to host an event so they could share their mission and their goals in effort to bring awareness, stop the stigma of addiction and advocate for recovery options.

Bubalo watched these boys grow up and succeed in athletics and in school. “They came from great families, were great kids and they had dreams,” said Bubalo. “They did not choose to become addicted to opioids.” Evan Wininger was one of these kids. He is the brother of Erin Purdue and Casey Blake who are two of the 7 Sisters. Evan lost his battle in 2015. Bubalo reached out to them and with the help of all 7 Sisters, Bubalo and his wife Vicki, An Evening with 7 Sisters was conceived.

The opioid epidemic has affected the community. The intent of the event is to broaden the 7 Sisters mission as they fulfill a goal of offering a grief support group to those who have lost a loved one to addiction. After so many people in the community reached out asking if they knew of a grief support group, the 7 Sisters knew that had to be the next step. “A loss is always hard and everyone deals with grief differently, but there is something indescribable about grieving the loss of someone to addiction,” said Blake. “It could be because watching someone surrender to addiction can feel like a loss even before they are gone. Or because not everyone fully understands the disease and how it impacts every member of the family.” The 7 Sisters hope to offer comfort and help others cope with their loss.

An Evening with 7 Sisters will be an opportunity to support their mission and hear their long-term goals. The event is Thursday, September 6 at the Reitz Home Museum from 6pm-8pm. Tickets can be purchased at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-with-7-sisters-tickets-48138185609?discount=SISTERS

https://www.facebook.com/events/229744420993772/

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