On June 19, 2025, a powerful gathering took place at the corner of Broadway Street and Nevada Avenue in Central Fresno. Community members, first responders, and advocates joined forces for the first-ever Narcan Education and Awareness Event hosted by New Life Recovery—a treatment facility committed to offering holistic addiction care to the Fresno community. The event marked a crucial moment in Fresno’s ongoing response to the opioid crisis and underscored a single, life-saving truth: anyone can help reverse an overdose.
The Zachary Horton Foundation was proud to partner with New Life Recovery alongside Community Medical Centers and American Ambulance to bring this event to life. As an organization dedicated to breaking the stigma surrounding addiction and supporting harm reduction strategies, we recognize that empowering the community with tools like Narcan is one of the most direct ways to save lives.
The Zachary Horton Foundation was proud to partner with New Life Recovery alongside Community Medical Centers and American Ambulance to bring this event to life. As an organization dedicated to breaking the stigma surrounding addiction and supporting harm reduction strategies, we recognize that empowering the community with tools like Narcan is one of the most direct ways to save lives.
Narcan (naloxone) is a medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses. With the surge of fentanyl-related deaths in recent years, having Narcan on hand can mean the difference between life and death. Fresno County has seen progress: fentanyl-related deaths dropped from 114 in 2021 to 94 in 2023. But even one life lost is too many.
As Ben Milam, co-founder of New Life Recovery, shared during the event, “Teaching people when and how to use Narcan is important because you may be in a situation where you have to bring somebody back to life.”
The event wasn’t just about distributing free Narcan kits (though hundreds were given away). It was about education, empowerment, and personal stories that brought the mission to life. Ben and his brother Jason both owe their lives to Narcan after experiencing their own overdoses—Ben on Father’s Day years ago, and Jason more recently in 2023 after a fentanyl relapse. Today, both are in recovery and serving the community through New Life Recovery’s addiction treatment in Fresno.
Those who attended the event received hands-on training on recognizing opioid overdoses, administering Narcan, and knowing what to do until emergency services arrive. Every participant left with both the knowledge and the tools to potentially save a life.
Located in the heart of Fresno, New Life Recovery is more than a treatment center. It’s a holistic, trauma-informed space offering detox, residential treatment, and outpatient care all on one campus. Their team includes addiction professionals, nurses, clinicians, and advocates like Ben and Jason who bring lived experience to the healing journey.
Our mission at the Zachary Horton Foundation is to build a community where overdose education, prevention, and recovery are accessible to everyone. By partnering with organizations like New Life Recovery, we help distribute free Narcan, offer harm-reduction training, and host events that save lives.
We believe in showing up. In listening. In training ordinary people to do extraordinary things—like administering Narcan and reversing an overdose.
Together, we can turn the tide of overdose in Fresno—one life, one story, one dose at a time.
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