SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- On Sunday, people around the world will recognize International Overdose Awareness Day.

For the past six years, people have been gathering along the Big Sioux River in Sioux Falls to honor loved ones and end the stigma surrounding substance use disorder. Emily's Hope founder Angela Kennecke and two other moms who lost children to overdose started the tradition.

"I think it's so meaningful to be able to really recognize those we have lost," said Angela Kennecke, founder and CEO of Emily's Hope. "They were truly our sons, our daughters, our brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles. These were people who were loved and who may or may not have suffered from substance use disorder, but they mattered."

Despite overdose numbers dropping across the U.S., awareness is importa

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