By Madison Russ
When Nick Bricker learned he was being honored by the Upper Township Division of EMS with a Humanitarian of the Year award, he was caught off guard.
“I didn’t know anything about it,” said Bricker. “I’m not one who enjoys notoriety or the limelight because I don’t do what I do for that—I don’t do it for me or to try and get recognition. I do it to help, and as I always say, I’m not the one who does this … I could do a million things, but unless it receives the support of the community and people in it, it’s nothing.”
Bricker may shy away from the spotlight, but in Upper Township, he’s well-known for his generosity and efforts to support local businesses and families. What began as a simple idea—creating a Facebook group to help local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic—blossomed into much more.
Today, his efforts have uplifted businesses and community members in need. Bricker’s Facebook group, Upper Township & Surrounding Area Local Business Support Page, raises funds through various fundraising efforts.
He estimates that the group has raised over a million dollars since he started it five years ago.
But Bricker said the idea really started years prior when his son, Ryland, was 7 years old. Ryland, who races BMX, started to show interest in fundraising, as Bricker was already actively involved in several charities and foundations.
“We found out USA BMX, the governing body of the sport, has a foundation, and they do a nationwide fundraiser called the Race for Life,” he explained. “I said, ‘Here you go, buddy. Here’s your chance to get involved and do something.”
Bricker said his son eagerly took part, taking up collections outside of stores with his helmet and forgoing Christmas and birthday presents for donations instead.
“At 7 years old, that’s pretty admirable because all kids want stuff,” said Bricker. “A lot of the local businesses donated and supported him, as well as some people in the community. So, when COVID hit, I said, ‘There’s gotta be something I can do to help them out since they’ve helped him out.’”
These days, he also tries to highlight new and existing businesses in the community.
“Whenever something new comes, I try to do something immediately to help them get off on the right foot,” he explained. “I always throw stuff out there, like, shop local, shop small. Without these local businesses, there would be no community.”
Bricker admits he can’t help everyone, but his generosity has touched many. From supporting businesses to organizing holiday toy and gift card drives, sending pizzas to volunteer firefighters, assisting families in need or rallying donations for public works crews after a heavy snowstorm, his impact has been far-reaching.
In one remarkable act of kindness, he made a young girl’s dream come true by buying her a horse after a failed kidney transplant
“Nick is always thinking of ways to bring this community together,” said Liz Ellison-Saunders, owner of Baked By The Ocean in Marmora, who has experienced Bricker’s generosity firsthand. “He seeks out ways to contribute and makes it easy for all of us to participate.”
Ellison-Saunders, whose daughter is a childhood cancer survivor, is especially grateful for the work Bricker and his son do to support organizations that help families facing similar challenges.
“I am especially grateful for his and his son’s fundraising efforts for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Upper Township is lucky to have him, and I’m lucky to call him a friend,” she said.
Bricker said he feels the group has helped unite community members.
“With all the stuff going on in this country, with political divide and this and that, that has never, ever come up in our group—not once,” he said. “There’s no political drama. Everyone just does it to support the community.”
While he’s not sure what the future holds, as long as the community supports his efforts, he’ll remain all in.
“I kind of just take it day by day. Next week, I could put something up, and people could say, ‘Screw this, we’re over it.’ Then it just goes away. But I never thought it would do what it has, honestly. Ever,” he said. “As long as we can do this and continue to support the community and people of need in our community, I’ll do it and do whatever I have to.”
