AUBURN — The nonprofit Nick’s Ride 4 Friends has given addiction recovery resources to people in need for the last few years. Now, it will be able to help even more.
A ribbon is cut at the new site of the addiction recovery nonprofit Nick’s Ride 4 Friends in Auburn Saturday.
People listen to Assemblyman John Lemondes, R-LaFayette, far right, speak at a ribbon-cutting Saturday for the new site of the addiction recovery nonprofit Nick’s Ride 4 Friends at 13 Chapel St. in Auburn.
Joel Campagnola, co-founder of Nick’s Ride 4 Friends, speaks at a ribbon-cutting for the new site of the addiction recovery nonprofit at 13 Chapel St. in Auburn Saturday.
Assemblyman Brian Manktelow, R-Lyons, speaks at a ribbon-cutting for the new site of the addiction recovery nonprofit Nick’s Ride 4 Friends, 13 Chapel St., in Auburn Saturday.
People talk to each other before the beginning of the ribbon-cutting for the new site of the addiction recovery nonprofit Nick’s Ride 4 Friends, 13 Chapel St., in Auburn Saturday.
Over 50 people, included various Cayuga County-area officials, attended the ribbon cutting Saturday for the new Nick’s Ride facility at 13 Chapel St. in Auburn.
Funding for the work to renovate and rehabilitate the formerly vacant spot included $940,000 from the state’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant, meant to help development projects in downtown Auburn. The namesake of Nick’s Ride is Nick Campagnola, who died after overdosing on a combination of fentanyl and synthetic acid at age 20 in 2015.
Joel Campagnola, Nick’s father and co-founder of Nick’s Ride, spoke at the event Saturday. He talked about how powerful “this disease, this epidemic” of addiction is, praised various people who have been involved with Nick’s Ride and this project and thanked those in attendance and the community for their support of the organization.
“I know Nick’s looking down on us and he is digging this!” Joel said as the crowd clapped.
Assemblyman Brian Manktelow, R-Lyons, also spoke, saying he looked through the building two months ago and was excited to see what it looked like now. Becoming visibly emotional for a moment, he noted he had a close family friend who had died of an overdose.
