Residents laced up their walking shoes Wednesday in Monroe to bring awareness to addiction.

The annual Walk for Hope and Vigil for Addiction Awareness was held at the Masuk High School track.

Organizers say the goal is to bring the community together and break the stigma of addiction.

"What I want people to know is that even though you may think you are one small number, a big fish in a small pond, you're actually not," says Masuk High School senior Haleigh Coscia. "If you put your heart to it and you try hard enough, you can do whatever it is you wish to do."

Coscia says she also wants people to take opioid addiction as an extremely serious problem, especially in Connecticut.