CASA-Trinity and Tioga ASAP to host substance abuse awareness event

On Saturday, Sept. 2, CASA-Trinity and Tioga ASAP will kick off National Recovery Month with an event at Marvin Park in Owego that will raise awareness of addiction, and will raise funds for the Tioga ASAP Coalition.

According to Christina Olevano, Tioga supervisor for CASA-Trinity and chair of the Tioga ASAP Coalition, the Sept. 2 event is to kick off recovery month and provide free family friendly activities.  

They are also working with the local Chapter of the LaFamilia Motorcycle Club, who will be hosting a 60 to 80-mile ride with proceeds benefiting the Tioga ASAP Coalition. Olevano stated that the coalition is currently unfunded, and they depend on fundraising and donations to be able to continue to work on prevention in Tioga County.

Kevin Salter, member of LaFamilia, stated that they are expecting a good show of support for this event. He also noted that Mary Struble, a volunteer, has been working hard to gather raffle items for the event, and has collected over $5,000 worth of items so far.

“This event is about saving lives,” said Salter, “so we wanted to support their efforts.”

Included at the event will be the motorcycle run, with a registration at 9:30 a.m. at Marvin Park and kickstands up at 10:30 a.m. The cost of the ride is $15 per bike, and an additional $5 per passenger. The ride will return to Marvin Park at approximately noon. 

For more information on the ride, you can contact Salter by calling (607) 354-6676.

At the park there will be food and activities from noon to 3 pm., and then a balloon release at 3 p.m. that will serve as a memorial for those who lost their life to drug addiction. 

Also included at the event will be free Narcan training, and kits will be available. 

Olevano stated that so far this year there have been 46 reported overdoses in Tioga County, and that is just what has been reported.  

She added, “We plan on offering more Narcan trainings around the county; we have trained about 25 people so far and would like to do more.”

Irene Martin, who is a member of the coalition and has assisted in the planning, reported that other activities will include a dunk tank, face painting, ice cream, drinks, bounce houses and wagon rides.

CASA-Trinity is the substance abuse prevention agency in Tioga County. Their goal is to provide education and programs, which will help prevent and/or reduce substance abuse in our county.  

They are located at 6 McMaster St. in Owego and across from Agway in the Old Mill Building. They also keep an updated referral resource list and try to help people by answering questions and providing information to meet needs as they arise.

To learn more, you can contact CASA-Trinity by calling (607) 223-4066. 

The Tioga Allies in Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) coalition is the substance abuse coalition in Tioga County. They have been meeting for over a year and provide free Narcan trainings and raise awareness through outreach to the community. The coalition is also working on collecting data on substance abuse, and hosting informative talks and fundraising events.