The person with Substance Use Disorder - It's likely not who or what you think.
We all see the media's representation of the person with Substance Use Disorder. Typically someone living on the street in abject poverty or using in a dark room of an abandoned building. These dark images are quickly swept away by the public, like many other issues just too disturbing to face. However, the reality of SUD is not so easy to dismiss - it's the champion football player, the practicing lawyer or physician, the store owner, the kid you know that is always helping out with a smile. Opioids, prescription and illicit, are being used by the U.S. citizen base in unprecedented volume. People of all walks of life - ages, education, income, gender and professions are being impacted in epidemic proportions. That is the reality and it hovers at every doorstep.
History of Friends MATTer:
In August 2016, Matthew Daniels II lost his battle with SUD with an overdose of Fentanyl laced heroin. Like so many others before and after his passing, Matthew was a kind, productive and giving person with so much potential. With his caring spirit of support for others, Matthew’s family and friends banned together to form Friends MATTer. On March 24, 2017, Friends MATTer was officially designated as a public charity 509 (a) (2). Our vision was to prevent relapse during the critical first five years of recovery by strengthening the network around the person struggling with substance use disorder.
On February 9th, 2017, we held our first fundraising event called “Buzzing the Bun” in New York City to raise start-up funds for the organization. The event was successful and raised the initial funds needed to move forward with our work.
On May 8, 2017, Friends MATTer received its Federal EIN number as 501c3 nonprofit organization. Our focus at the time was to create performance-based education programming and a communication APP “The MATT APP” to increase communication for the recovering person’s network of support.
Today, Friends MATTer continues on with the vision of preventing relapse and we have refined our mission and programming priorities. In the summer of 2018, we brought on new leadership to include Andrea de la Flor, our current board president, Thomas Mancini, our board secretary and friend of Matthew’s, and Todd Broad, a well-regarded physician and advocate.
We all see the media's representation of the person with Substance Use Disorder. Typically someone living on the street in abject poverty or using in a dark room of an abandoned building. These dark images are quickly swept away by the public, like many other issues just too disturbing to face. However, the reality of SUD is not so easy to dismiss - it's the champion football player, the practicing lawyer or physician, the store owner, the kid you know that is always helping out with a smile. Opioids, prescription and illicit, are being used by the U.S. citizen base in unprecedented volume. People of all walks of life - ages, education, income, gender and professions are being impacted in epidemic proportions. That is the reality and it hovers at every doorstep.
History of Friends MATTer:
In August 2016, Matthew Daniels II lost his battle with SUD with an overdose of Fentanyl laced heroin. Like so many others before and after his passing, Matthew was a kind, productive and giving person with so much potential. With his caring spirit of support for others, Matthew’s family and friends banned together to form Friends MATTer. On March 24, 2017, Friends MATTer was officially designated as a public charity 509 (a) (2). Our vision was to prevent relapse during the critical first five years of recovery by strengthening the network around the person struggling with substance use disorder.
On February 9th, 2017, we held our first fundraising event called “Buzzing the Bun” in New York City to raise start-up funds for the organization. The event was successful and raised the initial funds needed to move forward with our work.
On May 8, 2017, Friends MATTer received its Federal EIN number as 501c3 nonprofit organization. Our focus at the time was to create performance-based education programming and a communication APP “The MATT APP” to increase communication for the recovering person’s network of support.
Today, Friends MATTer continues on with the vision of preventing relapse and we have refined our mission and programming priorities. In the summer of 2018, we brought on new leadership to include Andrea de la Flor, our current board president, Thomas Mancini, our board secretary and friend of Matthew’s, and Todd Broad, a well-regarded physician and advocate.