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Legion Riders donate $9,000 to Recovery Raw following Gaffney ride
With members of Greencastle American Legion Post 58 in attendance at a recent Recovery Raw meeting, community service was on the mind of founder Eric Rippy.
“Tonight’s topic is community service — giving back your experiences,” Rippy said. “How does giving back help your recovery?
“Seeing joy in someone else actually activates the same receptors in your brain as getting high,” Rippy continued. “It builds self-esteem and self-confidence.”
In their midst, they had a group of people experiencing that high. During the inaugural Rod Gaffney Charity Ride in mid-August, the Legion Riders raised $9,000.
Explaining that Gaffney, the late post commander who died last October, had dealt with addiction in his own family, Joey Macke of the Legion Riders explained that this was a fitting tribute.
“The American Legion did this. The American Legion family did this,” Macke said. “But Rod wrote this check.”
That American Legion family extends beyond the Riders, with Mackey and Post Commander Bob Tyler explaining that the post includes not only veterans who are members of the American Legion itself, but also the Legion Auxiliary for spouses and the Sons of the Legion for those whose parents served, and of course the Legion Riders.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Rippy explained that a lot of needs come up for Recovery Raw, so the money would be put to good use. He even noted that through various sponsorships, Recovery Raw also tries to give back to the community.
“We need to make sure we’re doing things for the right reasons in our hearts,” Rippy said. “Nothing seemed better than for you guys to see the people who care about us and for them to see us and what we do.”
With its stated goal of “walking next to you” through recovery from addiction, Recovery Raw meets at 6:30 p.m. each Thursday at Lifebuilder Community Center, 703 E. Washington St., Greencastle.