RICHMOND, Va. -- A new billboard has been installed on Grace Street near the Richmond Police Department's headquarters.
The Virginia Fentanyl and Substance Awareness group worked with Rachel's Angels to get the billboard installed to bring awareness to the fentanyl crisis.
The billboard features the faces of 20 Virginians who have lost their lives to fentanyl.
Donna Watson’s son Troy Howlett, who is one of those faces, died from an overdose in 2018.
She said his unexpected and untimely death has changed her whole world.
Watson wanted her son be added to the billboard in hopes people would be curious and ask her questions. She believes the billboard will connect people directly to the impact.
“I’m an advocate now and I’ll continue doing that until I take my last breath," she said.
Watson and other family members with the organization want the billboard also want those selling drugs with fentanyl or those considering doing drugs to think twice when they see the billboard.
“What if it was your child, mother, sister brother or uncle," Watson asked. "I know people love to make money but trust me money means nothing once you lose a loved one."
Families shared their loved one's stories at the unveiling Saturday morning.
Their stories were heard by numerous law enforcement agencies, the attorney general's office, the DEA and local commonwealth’s attorneys.
The families hope those passing by the billboard realize each face has a name and a story. They hope it will work as a way to deter and educate.
“It’s sad, but it makes me proud... I feel like I’m making a difference. I feel him 24/7 and he is looking down saying, 'Keep going, Mom. Keep going," Watson said.
Deaths from fentanyl are on the rise across the country according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Officials said 2000 people lost their life last year just here in Virginia last year.
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