DAYTON — The eighth annual Rally 4 Recovery, sponsored by FOA Families of Addicts and Mahajan Therapeutics, is scheduled for this Sunday, Aug. 29, and will take place in downtown Dayton, on Courthouse Square at the corner of South Main Street and Third Street.

The event will begin at 2 p.m., with the first hour reserved for attendees to access the resource area, which will have information on treatment, recovery, and related support services. Official rally programming, including the resource area, will run from 3 to 6 p.m.

This year’s featured speaker is JD Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy. He will share his story of coping with addiction in his own family while growing up in Middletown. There will also be other speeches from local leaders and individuals in recovery, and programming will culminate with the Rally’s signature BIG Picture and balloon launch. The anticipated 3,000 attendees will also have access to local food trucks and can participate in raffle drawings, sign memory and honor banners, and network with other families and individuals impacted by addiction. There will also be activities for children, like face painting and balloon sculpting.

Overdose deaths in 2020 were at an all-time high, and with other social concerns like COVID-19 taking precedent, FOA is hopeful that the Rally 4 Recovery will re-energize the community’s efforts to battle the ongoing addiction epidemic.

“We hope that the Rally 4 Recovery will bring people together and strengthen our network to continuing fighting to spread awareness, reduce stigma, and provide support to families impacted by addiction,” said Lori Erion, Founder and CEO of FOA Families of Addicts.

This year’s Rally is co-sponsored by Mahajan Therapeutics, which provides addiction treatment, primary care, and psychiatry services to individuals in the Miami Valley.

“We are so excited to co-sponsor this event and support the mission of FOA,” said Varun Mahajan, CEO of Mahajan Therapeutics. “FOA works with Mahajan Therapeutics on the front lines, battling the effects of addiction in our community. Events like the Rally 4 Recovery are important to both celebrate individuals that have overcome addiction, and to remind us how much work there is left to do.”