OCEAN CITY – The Worcester County Warriors Against Opiate Addiction will host a “Rock For Recovery” concert Sept. 25 in West Ocean City to raise awareness for opioid abuse.
When the Warriors, a group of individuals affected by opioid addiction, held its first support meeting in April, co-founders Heidi McNeeley, Cheryl Hassett and Jackie Ball were not expecting the level of interest and attendance.
At their first meeting at the Ocean Pines Library, the group had 50 attendees.
By the second meeting, the group had almost 300.
Since then, the Worcester County Warriors have hosted numerous community events.
Within the last month, the group hosted a vigil for International Overdose Awareness Day between 2nd and 3rd streets on the beach, where more than 40 people came to represent loved ones.
The response from previous meetings and events made it apparent to the Warriors that the community needed more awareness, education and resources to address opiate addiction.
The Worcester County Health Department will be present at the “Rock For Recovery” concert with the Warriors to provide information and support to community members.
The concert at Trader Lee’s House of Rock will go from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will have performances from The Messengers, Swell Fellas and Funk Shue.
The $10 cover charge will include a door prize ticket and a WOW sticker.
In addition to these proceeds, the group plan to raise funds through T-shirt sales and a raffle style Chinese Auction.
Items up for grabs include artwork from two artists, gift certificates from local restaurants and a Tahitian highlights salon package from Headlines.
Local restaurants that provided gift certificates for the event, as of Thursday, include The Shark on the Harbor, Siculi, Denovo’s Trattoria, and Crabs To Go.
The group will continue to accept donations for the auction until Sunday afternoon.
“The community has been hugely responsive,” McNeeley says.
The concert has garnished close to 100 interested participants from its Facebook page, McNeeley says, and encourages those going to R.S.V.P on the page, although it is not required.
“If we can get 100 to 150 people, that would be great,”
The event will have drinks and food from Conner’s Beach Café, The Big Easy on 60, Malia’s Café and Main Street Sweets, according to the Worcester County Warriors.
Additionally, $1 on each drink sale will go to support the group.
The Worcester County Warriors will still accept donations from those who cannot attend, but wish to help.
“We’ve been so blown away from the community’s support and that they’ve rallied around us since our first meeting,” McNeeley says. “We hope people just come out and have fun.”
Money raised from the event will go to fund future projects and needs.
Currently, the group is allotting money to help those in the community who suffer with addiction find treatment.
More information on Worcester County Warriors and their events can be found on their Facebook page or www.wocowarriors.org.
