In 2022, a grassroots group was formed to start up a Recovery Community Organization (RCO) in Oswego County. The founder, a volunteer activist in this field for many years, Teresa Woolson, attended trainings and conferences in the field of addiction and recovery services, including bootcamp-type trainings for starting an RCO and bringing non-clinical supports and services to Oswego County. An RCO is a valuable tool to help with the epidemic of the opioid overdose crisis in Oswego County.
In 2023 the group established regular meetings and formed the organizational structure of the non-profit. With the help of a fiscal sponsor, volunteers and donations, a contract with the New York Council of Non-Profits assisted with the filing of the NYS Certificate of Incorporation, Corporate By-Laws, EIN Number; our IRS 501(C)3 was established on August 15, 2023.
In addition to corporate and legal matters, the group received donated space in the McCrobie Civic Center by the Mayor of Oswego. Donations were collected to furnish, equip and stock the space and opened as a Recovery Center on May 8, 2023. Services at the Center include:
Other activities and community outreach and partnership include:
The board participated in Shineman Foundation board development and consultations.
Funding applications were submitted to local, regional and state funding sources. Our NYS Sales Tax Exemption was granted.
Mission Moment: Teresa noted, ”Following a staff NARCAN training at the Oswego City Library, the staff encountered an unresponsive person near the elevator and immediately remembered their training and used NARCAN and saved a life. The staff are now so very thankful they were trained and had the NARCAN available. It’s that easy to save a life.”