GREENFIELD — Melissa Smallwood was just 21 when she died of an overdose.
She was talented singer. A loyal friend. A loving daughter. A life cut short by a hateful disease.
And it was at her funeral that a handful of community members put their heads together and decided more needed to be done locally to help those struggling with drug addiction. And in the weeks after Smallwood was buried, those same community members announced their plans to build the Talitha Koum Women’s Recovery House.
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Years of hard work separate them from that time. And as Talitha Koum officially opened its door last week, it seemed fitting that Smallwood — the one who inspired the project — should be the one whom they gathered in honor of Saturday.
The fourth annual Ashley Burton Recovery Walk — an event that supports and helps connect local residents with area recovery programs — took place Saturday in the courthouse plaza in downtown Greenfield. More than 100 community members came out to participate; and dozens of local organizations dedicated to helping those who struggle with addiction find help, lined the plaza’s perimeter passing out information about their cause.
The walk, held in conjunction each year with National Recovery Month, is named for Greenfield native Ashley Burton, who died from a drug overdose at age 26; but each year organizers recognize another who fell victim to the disease of addiction.
Smallwood was the 2018 honoree.
Some of those who gathered Saturday knew Smallwood well in life. Many more only knew of the great cause her death inspired.
Hancock Circuit Court Judge Scott Sirk, who spoke to the crowd briefly Saturday to help kick off the walk, said he was among those who never knew Smallwood, but has joined the ranks of those who will work to keep her memory alive.
Just a few blocks from where they stood, Talitha Koum was sitting, ready and waiting for women in need of help to come inside and find the peace that Smallwood struggled throughout her young life to find, Sirk said.
Like so many before her, Smallwood tried hard to fight her addiction, Sirk said. She went into rehab five times before she died.
“She struggled. She recovered. She relapsed,” Sirk told the crowd before reading a passage from Smallwood’s journal, in which she described the pain of drug use, saying: “It hurts so bad. A thousand times more painful than the flu.”
It’s fitting that her memory will now serve as the base for so much good work, Sirk said.
Smallwood will forever be the driving force behind Talitha Koum, which is Hebrew for “little girl, rise up.” She’s the incarnation of that name and the mission statement it hold in its meaning, he said.
“When they built the Talitha Koum home, the floor, the structure, the foundation, was built by Melissa’s mother and stepfather,” Sirk said. “So, now all the girls who walk through that beautiful home … will walk over the foundation that was laid by Melissa Smallwood. (She) will continue to inspire them.”
Much discussion at the walk Saturday focused on how much the community has grown since Smallwood died.
Greenfield Mayor Chuck Fewell also addressed the crowd, declaring September recovery month locally. He told the crowd he was proud of the progress the community had made toward providing help to those who need it.
“Look at all the groups we didn’t have before,” he said, gesturing around the plaza to a smattering of applause.