Lost Talent Memorial to be Held at Museum

August 29th, 2019

For Immediate Release: August 13, 2019 (Albuquerque, New Mexico) --

Thousands of people die each year from drug overdose. International Overdose Awareness day is observed on August 31^st each year. 

The event aims to raise awareness about overdose and the dangers of drug use. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science is holding a memorial for local victims who have lost their lives to drugs. The memorial is being held in conjunction with the Museum exhibit titled “Drugs: Costs & Consequences”. The exhibit from the Drug Enforcement Agency explores the costs of legal and illegal drugs to individuals and the impact that drugs have on society. The exhibit will be open till December 8^th 2019. In the "Lost Talent Gallery" are stories and photos of local youth who have lost their lives to drugs.

A victims’ memorial will be held on Thursday, August 29th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. The event is being held in partnership with Bernalillo County Behavioral Health Services. The event is open to the public. Families of the victims in the “Lost Talent Gallery” are invited to attend the event.

There will be a Bernalillo County proclamation to commemorate the day.

A dedication stone will also be permanently placed at the Museum’s “Walk through New Mexico” exhibit to honor all victims of substance abuse. Rocky Mountain Stone is donating river rocks for each of the families to paint and honor their lost loved ones. The stones will be added to the “Drugs: Costs & Consequences” exhibit at the Museum.

“I feel honored to have a voice and share my son’s story with my community,” said Bernadette Miller, who lost her son in 2017 to counterfeit oxycodone laced with fentanyl.

 

Link to this release & image(s):

http://media.newmexicoculture.org/release/955/

 

http://media.newmexicoculture.org/release/920/

 

Image: Lost Talent Gallery: New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science

Media Contact: Andrea Jacquin, andrea.jacquin@state.nm.us 505-206-9144

 

About the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science: http://www.nmnaturalhistory.org.

The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science is a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, under the leadership of the Board of Trustees of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. Programs and exhibits are generously supported by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History Foundation, through the generous support of donors.

 

Established in 1986, the mission of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science is to preserve and interpret the distinctive natural and scientific heritage of our state through extraordinary collections, research, exhibits, and programs designed to ignite a passion for lifelong learning. The NMMNHS offers exhibitions, programs and workshops in Geoscience, including Paleontology and Mineralogy, Bioscience and Space Science. It is the Southwest’s largest repository for fossils and includes a Planetarium and a large format 3D DynaTheater.

 

1801 Mountain Road NW, northeast of Historic Old Town Plaza, Albuquerque, NM 87104, (505) 841-2800.  Open seven days a week 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. , closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Events, news releases and images about activities at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science and other divisions of the Department of Cultural Affairs can be accessed at media.newmexicoculture.org.