KMF Provides Grant for Rides for Recovery

KMF donates $1,000 to Rides for Recovery enabling free Uber rides to a rehab facility or meetings for those seeking help with addiction.

The Kaitlin Murphy Foundation (KMF) is pleased to present $1,000 for the Rides for Recovery Program, a Bucks County initiative started by Deputy Sheriff and part-time Uber driver Gary Bruno, which offers free Uber rides to a rehab facility or meetings for those seeking help with their addiction.

The program provides $10 Uber gift cards to Aldie Counseling Center in Doylestown so that they can distribute them to those who are struggling to get a ride to treatment. The cards are also given to Bucks County's Drug Court to be distributed to reward members of Drug Court for their various accomplishments to be used for transportation to meetings, appointments, and treatment.

"The courthouse was closed for a snow day in early February so I decided to Uber. My first two rides were both to take people to drug treatment" stated Deputy Sheriff Gary Bruno. "In the few minutes I had with each, we had great conversations and I could tell that they were committed to their recovery (even not using the snowy weather as an excuse to miss their therapy). I felt very proud of them. Between that and the irony of my first two riders going to treatment, I decided I wanted to do something special. I came up with the idea to offer free rides on the upcoming President's Day for those in recovery. This led to the creation of a Go Fund Me page called Rides For Recovery. Since I work full-time for the county and obviously cannot offer these rides 24/7, donations received are used to purchase the $10 Uber gift cards. I want to thank the Kaitlin Murphy Foundation for this very generous donation," Bruno said.

"The Kaitlin Murphy Foundation is proud to support this community initiative which stemmed from the compassion of Officer Bruno and his unique exposure to the opioid epidemic through both the Bucks County Drug Court and his experience as an Uber driver," said KMF President Annemarie Murphy. "This program is special because it gives hope to folks struggling with addiction that there are people out there supporting them and believing in their recovery."

The Kaitlin Murphy Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization started by the Murphy family in June 2017 in memory of their daughter and sister, Kaitlin, who lost her battle with addiction in May 2012. KMF's mission is to bring awareness to the addiction epidemic, form a community of fighters to join the battle, and raise the funds needed to support addiction fighting charities and causes that are already doing the good work on the ground level.

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In the short time since its inception, KMF has continuously provided grants for addiction, prevention, and recovery programs across Bucks County. KMF's efforts specific to law enforcement, criminal justice reform, and rehabilitation include early funding of the Bucks County Police Assisting in Recovery Program "BPAIR", funding for transportation to/from Bucks County Drug Court program appointments, and funding to establish the HEART Program, a recovery program in the Bucks County Women's Correctional Facility. KMF's efforts and funding also includes programs helping homeless suffering from addiction, youth impacted by substance abuse in their households, a women's recovery art & music therapy program, engagement with high school students developing solutions to the opioid epidemic, enhancements to a women's sobriety residence, and providing transitional necessities for individuals entering recovery homes.

Lastly, and potentially most importantly, KMF has worked tirelessly to promote awareness of the opioid epidemic and build a "Community of Fighters", which has been accomplished through participation in many public events as well as through KMF-organized events, which thousands of supporters have participated in to date.

For more information on the Kaitlin Murphy Foundation, visit www.kaitlinmurphyfoundation.org. To donate to the Rides for Recovery program via Go Fund Me, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/drsrrt-rides-for-recovery. To read an article about this initiative published in the Bucks County Courier Times titled Uber ride in a snowstorm triggers community campaign in Bucks County, visit https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/20190325/uber-ride-in-snowstorm-triggers-community-campaign-in-bucks-county.