ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The end of August is a time to remember and reflect on lives lost due to drug overdose, but it's also a time to renew the commitment to continue action. Organizations have come together to continue to provide outreach that meets people where they are on their path to recovery.

There are people in our lives we never forget. They are people that can define the rest of our lives. That person was Stephanie Forrester's husband. 

“My husband passed away 100 days into my recovery,” Recovery All Ways founder Stephanie Forrester said. “I know he would want me and my kids to be living our best lives and still including him in it, because he's still such a huge part of that.”

She is honoring him through her organization "Recovery All Ways." Forrester has been in recovery for years, however the journey was not easy. 

“I struggled with substance use disorder for a year, was homeless [and] doing sex work. [I was doing] anything to get my drugs,” Forrester said. “I ended up losing custody of my kids. I overdosed twice. So, I just created what was going to help me and it ended up helping so many others.”

Overdoses not only impact those directly, but everyone around you.

“Two years ago it hit me that my dad is never coming back,” Stephanie’s daughter Izabella Forrester said. “I wish he could see another one of my birthdays. I wish I could show him how far I got. But I can’t."

Forrester’s team works alongside the New York Recovery Alliance, spearheaded by director Christopher Abert. Both groups are run by and for people impacted by substance use disorders. 

“The 14605 and 14621 ZIP codes are the most impoverished in the entire state,” New York Recovery Alliance director Christopher Abert said. “And so it made sense to us, not only being from those ZIP codes, but also wanting to help the folks who were most under-resourced and deserve life-saving materials. I create an atmosphere where we could demand those things from the folks that ignore us.”

The organizers work all around the clock providing resources and outreach directly to those in need. Amid all the continuous efforts, it's team always takes the time on Aug. 31 for a moment of silence.

“I've lost so many people,” Abert said. “It almost sounds fictional if I start naming them off. But, yeah, there'll be a lot of people and those that were left behind that are in my heart and in my mind today.”

Finding the lives lost is a continuous reason why Forrester, Abert and many others persevere through this work. 

“I got custody of my kids back,” Forrester said. “I bought a house. We have this amazing outreach building, so it's possible it's a lot of work. But with the right people and the right support system, you can do it.”