A now-annual event is taking place at the Majestic Theatre in St. John’s this evening in support of mental health and addictions support programs.
Tina Olivero lost her son, Ben, 15 months ago to a drug overdose in downtown St. John’s.
Out of that tragedy, Olivero has only increased her advocacy for better supports for people dealing with mental health and addictions.
(Ben and Tina Olivero)
The second annual Ben’s Benefit show is a fundraiser for Guardians of Recovery, which helps people though mental health and addictions support, healing programs, and advocacy.
Olivero says her ultimate goal is to create a “sober culture.”
“We’ve been working on sober-living homes across the province for the last 15 months,” she said. “Specifically, we have a lot of low-barrier shelters out there. I want to balance the scales and bring in at least as many sober-living homes, because a lot of people do want to get sober but they want to do it in a safe place.
“We must be able to provide that for people when they’re ready to recover.”
Ben’s Benefit is scheduled to being at 7 p.m.
