Unity House announces 2025 award winners
Jim Burlingame and Ashley Moench to be honored at April 28 dinner
Unity House is pleased to announce its 2025 awardees:
14th OPEN ARMS AWARDEE:
Ashley Moench of Tully
Ashley is the former director of Unity House’s Grace House recovery program, and is now the executive director at Nick’s Ride 4 Friends in Auburn, a similar nonprofit dedicated to the fight against substance use disorders. In recognition of her commitment to community collaboration and the seamless flow of care, Ashley was nominated by her former Grace House team members, Brad Case and Jennifer Smith. Ashley joined Unity House in 2014 as a case manager, earned her CASAC-T, and became Grace House’s program director until January 2022. Now at Nick’s Ride, Ashley, the mother of 9-year-old twins, embraces her lived experience, having shared her own recovery journey publicly. She serves as vice-chair of C.H.A.D. (Confidential Help for Alcohol and Drugs) and has contributed significantly to the Cayuga County HEALing Communities initiative.
15th FRED ATKINS COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDEE:
Jim Burlingame of Auburn
A native Auburnian, Jim was nominated by Westminster Presbyterian Church for the breadth and depth of his outstanding volunteer service in our community for more than 40 years. For the church, Jim serves as a deacon, youth fellowship leader, snow remover, sound tech for worship services, soup kitchen cook, and many other roles. He has also given four decades of service to the American Red Cross, actively involved in all aspects of mass emergency care, first aid/CPR, and disaster relief. Jim is a third-generation firefighter, serving in various roles, including EMT and Captain, since 1983 at the Aurelius Volunteer Fire Department. For 15 years, Jim has been employed at The Jacobs Press in Auburn as a bindery worker.
Unity House will honor Jim and Ashley at the organization’s annual award dinner at the Auburn Holiday Inn on Monday, April 28. The public is warmly invited to attend the dinner and join in the celebration. Tickets are $85 per person. Learn more and RSVP online: unityhouse.org/annual-dinner/
For more information, please contact Director of Marketing and Development Kelly Buck at 315.253.6227 x 313 or kelly.buck@unityhouse.org and visit www.unityhouse.org.
Unity House empowers people with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities and substance use disorders. Every day, we help more than 750 adults in eight central New York counties learn the skills they need to lead fuller, more independent lives. Founded in 1977, our nonprofit employs about 350 people, and provides transitional and permanent housing, as well as rehabilitative, respite and employment services. Through innovation, education and advocacy, Unity House is freeing our community of misconceptions associated with disabilities.