Submitted photo This is the COPE Foundation 19’s memory garden, dedicated to victims of the opioid epidemic, in Fredonia. It’s set to get a ribbon-cutting Friday, Oct. 7 at noon.

A memory garden dedicated to people who died from opioid addictions will host a ribbon-cutting Friday at noon.

Located in front of the United Methodist Church on Church Street in Fredonia, the garden was planted by Bill Matteson. He’s the executive director of the Children of Opiate Parents and Empowerment (COPE) Foundation 19. The “19” stands for 2019, the year he lost his son to a heroin overdose. The foundation seeks to raise awareness about the opiate problem and support children of victims.

He planted the garden in early August. It contains a plaque that will list names of overdose victims, and a sign that explains the purpose of the COPE Foundation 19 and the garden.

“It’s an awareness and a wake up, I call it,” Matteson said of the garden.

“People need to know this is real,” he said. “These are names of people in this community who died.

“It won’t take a drug addict and make them say, ‘I quit.’ But it will get people to understand better what this pandemic is.”

Matteson said the COPE Foundation 19 is taking off, in part due to political support. “The county executive (PJ Wendel), the sheriff (James Quattrone), I got support from so many people,” he said. Both Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas and Fredonia Mayor Douglas Essek support his foundation and it is working with the Chautauqua County Mental Hygiene Department as well.

Matteson said he is offering to do informational sessions and seminars about the opiate epidemic. He is also hoping to do educational talks in local public schools.