The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) will host its fifth annual St. Mary’s Goes Purple Walk for Recovery on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 9 a.m. to noon in Leonardtown Square — a milestone for an event that began as a single afternoon gathering in 2022 and has grown into one of the county’s most visible recovery-awareness traditions.
The free, family-friendly walk celebrates people in recovery from substance use while working to chip away at the stigma that still surrounds addiction and mental illness. It’s open to anyone in the community, businesses included, and while SMCHD encourages advance registration, it isn’t required to show up.
A Growing Local Tradition
SMCHD held the inaugural Walk for Recovery in September 2022, drawing community members to Leonardtown Square for music, face painting and a drum circle. Each year since, the event has expanded its lineup of activities and partner organizations — past editions have brought in groups ranging from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office and Leonardtown Volunteer Rescue Squad to PFLAG Southern Maryland and area recovery centers. This year’s event continues that trajectory as it enters its fifth year.
Part of a Decades-Long National Movement
The St. Mary’s event is a local expression of a much older national observance. National Recovery Month traces back to 1989, when the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration launched it as “Treatment Works! Month” to spotlight the professionals working in addiction treatment. In 1998, it was renamed National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month to also honor people living with substance use disorder directly, and by 2011 it had become simply National Recovery Month, broadened to include behavioral health more generally. SAMHSA stepped back from formally overseeing the observance in 2020, but recovery advocacy groups have kept the September tradition going nationwide, adopting the tagline “Every Person, Every Family, Every Community” in the years since.
The Numbers Behind the Message
The walk also comes amid a genuinely hopeful shift in the data. Maryland recorded 1,315 overdose deaths in 2025 — the lowest total in a decade, and a 53% drop from the state’s historic peak of 2,800 deaths in 2021, according to Gov. Wes Moore’s office. The state also distributed a record 440,000-plus doses of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone last year. That decline mirrors a national pattern: preliminary CDC estimates show U.S. overdose deaths falling from roughly 106,881 in 2023 to about 79,500 in 2024, though federal officials note overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 44.
County-specific 2025 numbers for St. Mary’s weren’t broken out in the state’s announcement, though Southern Maryland jurisdictions have taken part in regional naloxone distribution and harm-reduction efforts tied to the statewide push. Earlier state data had shown St. Mary’s County averaging 32 opioid overdose deaths a year between 2017 and 2021, a period when the county’s toll was still climbing — a reminder of how far local efforts, including events like this one, have had to work to turn that trend around.
What to Expect Saturday
This year’s walk will feature music, free Naloxone/Narcan training, and behavioral health resources, alongside recovery poetry readings, DJs, lawn games, and face and rock painting. Attendees will receive a t-shirt and water bottle while supplies last. Community members can register online in advance, and businesses or organizations interested in tabling at the event can sign up through SMCHD’s registration links.
A Message from the Health Officer
Dr. Meena Brewster, St. Mary’s County Health Officer, framed the day as both a celebration and an open invitation.
“Recovery is possible, and no one should have to walk that journey alone,” Brewster said. “This event is an opportunity to stand alongside individuals and families affected by substance use, celebrate those in recovery, and help create a culture where asking for help is met with compassion rather than stigma.”
More information about SMCHD’s year-round Go Purple initiative, which works to reduce stigma around mental health and substance use disorders, is available on the health department’s website.
