S.A.R.A.H., The Office of Public Health, and Jacob’s Ladder to host drug addiction awareness community rally

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The Terrebonne Parish Office of Public Health, Jacob’s Ladder, and S.A.R.A.H. (Seeking Action Raising Awareness & Hope) have announced a community rally on Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 3:00-7:00 p.m. at the Courthouse Square to “build awareness and hope and to [educate the community] about the opioid crisis.”

S.A.R.A.H. is a local community service organization dedicated to putting a face to drug addiction and raise awareness around this growing epidemic. The organization was started by Renee Bertinot shortly after her daughter, Sarah Pellegrin, passed due to a fentanyl-laced drug overdose on in March of 2018. “After Sarah passed, I began to realize how few people were actually speaking out about the pain of addiction,” said Bertinot. “I didn’t know much about addiction myself or how to handle it while my daughter was struggling. I began educating myself on addiction as a disease following her death and after learning that there are organizations that put on rallies, we decided to host one in our community. Here we are five years later and still hosting rallies to bring awareness to the opioid crisis not only in our city, but in our state and our nation as well.” Bertinot explained that people in Terrebonne Parish and across the country are dying consistently from overdoses and fentanyl poisoning, but it is simply not talked about enough.


“Not only do we want to educate the community about addiction, but another important part of our rallies is highlighting those in recovery,” said Bertinot. “We want to show everyone that recovery is possible, and help give those struggles the resources to help.” The upcoming community rally will include inspiring stories of survival from those in recovery, information on where to find help and resources, and Naloxone (Narcan) and fentanyl test strips to help protect those struggling with addiction. If you or a loved one are have battled drug addiction, or want to show support in ending the addiction/opioid crisis, be sure to come out and support S.A.R.A.H.’s next community rally. For more information, please visit the S.A.R.A.H. Facebook page. 

For immediate assistance with substance abuse or mental health concerns, please call SAMHSA’s National Helpline 1-800-662-4357.