Family Fun and Community Awareness Day to benefit addiction group and Purpose Farm

By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Angela Stevens is happy to have a local ally in her fight against the heroin epidemic: Purpose Farm. That’s why Stevens’ Baldwinsville Addiction Awareness Group is hosting a fundraiser for the farm, which helps troubled youth heal through interacting with animals.

“We kind of entwine as far as what we’re doing,” Stevens said. “We don’t just help youth, we help anybody that is struggling.”

The Baldwinsville Addiction Awareness Group is hosting a Family Fun and Community Awareness Day on Sept. 17 to educate families about addiction and general wellness. The proceeds will go to Purpose Farm and the addiction group.

“Purpose Farm is one of those things that I don’t think gets the recognition that it could,” Stevens said.

While there is plenty of entertainment planned for the Family Fun and Community Awareness Day — there will be face painting, bounce houses and a Syracuse Silver Knights soccer clinic — Stevens said the event ultimately is about uniting the community against addiction and other problems facing families today.

Prevention Network will be holding kid-friendly video presentations about addiction and other topics, and Rite Aid will have a wellness table.

“I really want to [emphasize] the strength of the community pulling together,” Stevens said. “[With] the knowledge, the education, they’re better armed when they go back to school. When they have to face a difficult situation, maybe they’ll remember what they learned at this event. They’re going to have the resources at their fingertips.”

Stevens founded her group in 2013 after seeing her son struggle with heroin addiction. The Baldwinsville Addiction Awareness Group meets twice a month at Community Wesleyan Church, but it’s more than a support group: Stevens said the group helps connect people with treatment programs and even helps transport patients to rehab facilities.

“It’s an epidemic out there. There’s a lot more that needs to be done than we have the funds to do,” she said.

Stevens’ goal is to raise money for transportation to far-flung facilities to help people overcome their addictions.

“A lot of detox and inpatient programs don’t offer transportation. They may have to drive to Watertown or Saranac Lake,” she explained. “We have a lot of expenses that can pop up at the drop of a hat.”

Treatment programs can be costly, so the Baldwinsville Addiction Awareness Group wants to help defray those expenses as well.

“If a person who’s struggling with addiction needs to get into some place and they don’t have the right insurance … they have to pay out of pocket,” Stevens said.

Addiction doesn’t just affect the person addicted to drugs, Stevens said; it ripples through families and communities as well. Children may end up in foster care or living with grandparents if their parents are arrested, absent or in treatment.

“If a grandparent all of a sudden gets custody of four or five grandchildren, that’s big. Where would I get the money for clothes, food, formula?” Stevens said. “Grandma and Grandpa all of a sudden have more mouths to feed.”

On top of the financial hardships, kids may feel neglected or want to act out. That’s where Purpose Farm comes in. Purpose Farm pairs young people between the ages of 6 and 18 with animals, many of whom were rescued from abusive or neglectful situations themselves.

“She’s not just helping the kids … she’s also rescuing animals who may have not had any other chance,” Stevens said of Purpose Farm owner Sandra Seabrook. “These kids can benefit from Purpose Farm, mind and body.”

Stevens said more people need to recognize the work that Purpose Farm does. She plans to start volunteering at the farm and hopes others follow suit.

“They don’t get the grants that they should, and it saddens me because they’re doing amazing things there,” Stevens said. “They’re mentoring these children … through their ministry, through the hands-on [interaction] with the animals. They’re building relationships that are going to last these people forever.”

Stevens said space is still available for vendors at the event. To learn more, contact her at [email protected].

Family Fun and Community Awareness Day takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at the CNY Family Sports Centre, located at 7201 Jones Road in Baldwinsville. Admission is $5 per person or $20 for a family of four or more.