INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — To commemorate Black Balloon Day, an Indianapolis nonprofit is launching an online resource for drug education and harm prevention.

Black Balloon Day is a national campaign to remember people who’ve died from a drug overdose.

It started in 2016 when the family of Greg Trembley, a Massachusetts man, used the balloons to honor him a year after he died of an overdose.

Nicki Cochran, Overdose Lifeline‘s director of research and programs evaluation, says it’s important to share these stories.

“Overdose and substance use are very stigmatized,” Cochran said. “For Black Balloon Day, we attempt to give people a space where they can celebrate and remember their loved ones in a non-stigmatized way.”

For the occasion, Overdose Lifeline created KATE, an online chatbot. People can anonymously ask the free tool questions and receive what the group calls “stigma-free” facts.

It’s a collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Marion County Public Health Department.

Cochran says the launch goes hand-in-hand with what Black Balloon Day stands for.

“We know that as a harm reduction organization… the first step is knowledge,” Cochran said. “The first step is not just naloxone or fentanyl test strips. So KATE is meant to make those conversations easier.”

KATE is an acronym. It stands for Knowledge, Advocacy, Trust, and Education.

According to the CDC, overdoses are a leading cause of injury deaths in the United States.

“There’s a need for people to have access to information and resources, particularly harm reduction resources,” Cochran said. “It’s really important that people can receive information so that they can have conversations with their loved ones about drug use.”

For Black Balloon Day, the nonprofit is encouraging people to “release” virtual balloons on social media with messages of support or stories about a loved one who died of an overdose.

Message templates and a virtual balloon card can be found on the Overdose Lifeline Black Balloon Day page.