Amazing Race to help fund recovery center for addicts

GUILDERLAND — The Colonie-Guilderland Rotary Club is working with Crossgates Mall to host the Amazing Race To Recovery, billed as “a fun, family-friendly event where teams complete competitive challenges in stores (with no running allowed)” to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic and to raise funds for Second Chance Opportunities.

The event will be held at Crossgates on Saturday, Jan. 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participating stores include: Short & Stout Tea Company, UNO's Pizzeria & Grill, ThinkGeek, Showcase, Yankee Candle, LEGO, 110 Grill, Best Buy, Great American Cookie, Lucky Strike Social, Dave & Buster's, and Prolmage Sports.

A community forum to raise awareness and inform people of effective ways to help fight the opioid crisis will immediately follow the "Race." Funds raised will be used to open a Community Recovery Center in Albany, Second Chance Opportunities, Inc., described as “a safe, centralized center where people in recovery, their families and loved ones can go to get support necessary to lead healthy lives in recovery and cope with the challenges of addiction.

“People in recovery can put their lives back together by gaining employment, housing, life skills, and being a part of a recovery community,” a release from Crossgates says. “They'll learn to have fun and enjoy themselves without the use of substances, which greatly reduces the risk of relapse.”

“Over the years we have learned one of the keys to a life of sobriety is proper support during the transition from treatment to recovery; we refer to this as the ‘gap’ or the ‘bridge.’ This period of time is vital to an individual’s recovery. It's when we arm ourselves with the appropriate tools and methods to sustain recovery. Here at Second Chance Opportunities, we work to build those skills, to fit each individual’s needs,” said Executive Director Kellie Roe in the release.

The major sponsors include: CDPHP, BlueShield of Northeastern New York, Amsure Insurance, Adirondack Electronics, Faddegon's Nursery, Grassland Equipment, and TBC Accountants.

Visit www.amazingracetorecovery.org for more information, to register your team, sponsor the event, or even to sponsor someone in recovery so they can participate.

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