Group erects fentanyl awareness billboards in Warrick Co.

WARRICK CO., Ind. (WFIE) - On Wednesday, fentanyl awareness billboards were set up along State Road 62 near Boonville. They were paid for by Hope for Warrick County, a group started by Jean Carter.

Carter has been working hard to spread the word about addiction and fentanyl since she lost her grandson.

“Someone dies every 11 minutes,” she said. “Most of the time it’s fentanyl poisoning.”

In July, Carter hosted an event to spread awareness and raise funds.

Just that evening, she raised enough to put up billboards.

They finally went up on Wednesday.

“The more the groups are active, the more we get out the more we talk, the more lives are saved,” she said.

On them are the faces of people who lost their lives because of fentanyl.

Many of them are from Warrick County, including her grandson.

“I’m hoping the next time that the billboards go up again, we have less and less faces on there,” she said.

She said she wants to keep them up forever.

It’ll take a lot more fundraising, but with enough support, she wants to remind people to always look to help those around them who might be struggling with an addiction.

“You’ve got to love them through it,” she said. “You’ve got to understand it. You can’t just label them, kick them to the curb and walk on. You’ve got to stop and offer to help and see if there’s something that you can do. Maybe one kind act can turn that person around.”

Carter said at the very least, the billboards should be up through December.

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