ZACHARY HORTON FOUNDATION
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Mission Statement
We aim to break the stigma of addiction by offering love, hope and acceptance to individuals and families suffering from this disease. We will accomplish this through education, outreach, support and scholarships.
About This Cause
The Zachary Horton Foundation was founded in November 2020 as a legacy to our son, Zach. Zach died of an accidental drug overdose in January 2020 at the age of 19. As Zach’s parents, we have established the Foundation as an important resource to those suffering with substance use disorder or family and friends dealing with a loved one struggling with addiction. BACKGROUND Our only child, Zach passed away from an accidental drug overdose in January 2020. He was just 19 years old. Zach had been struggling with an opioid addiction for the previous nine months. Zach was so much more than his addiction. He was kind, funny, caring, smart, witty, good natured, sensitive, and handsome. Zach had an amazing smile that could light up a room. He was compassionate, always rooting for the underdog, reaching out to help others especially those in need of a friend. He graduated from high school in June 2019. Zach had so much potential; he had planned to attend college to get a degree in Finance. While Zach made the choice to experiment with drugs; very soon after, the drugs were no longer a choice for him. ADD, depression and a family history of addiction created a trifecta propensity for the disease. We sought help for Zach – counseling, medication for depression, etc. well before the addiction took hold. Zach was in addiction treatment the last several months of his life and he tried valiantly to focus on his recovery. Unfortunately, he relapsed and lost his life to an accidental overdose. The opioid epidemic that has swept this country over the past twenty years only continues to grow. Approximately 100,000 lives were lost in 2020 and Zach was one of them. Drug overdoses are the leading cause of injury related deaths for individuals under the age of 50…killing more people than car accidents or guns. Recovery from opioid addiction is an incredible battle. On average it takes about 8 years for an individual to get one year of sobriety which includes four to five treatment programs along the way. Relapse is a part of recovery; however, it is also fraught with peril. Parents and families struggle to help their kids by seeking treatment options. Addiction is a family disease as everyone in the household is impacted by a family member’s addiction. All too often, they keep quiet about it due to grief and shame. The stigma associated with addiction prevents those impacted by this disease from seeking education, support, and treatment. We are forever changed due to the loss of our beloved son. Still, we push through to find meaning once again. We want Zach to be remembered and because we know firsthand the devastating effects of this disease, our goal is to help those struggling and support their recovery. We also desire to enhance awareness, reduce stigma and promote prevention. EARLY DEVELOPMENT A great deal of our initial focus in developing the Foundation was on accomplishing key milestones. It took approximately six months to obtain our non-profit status. In June of 2021, we received notification that the Foundation is officially a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Along with pursuing the non-profit status, we formed a Board of Directors, devised corporate bylaws, our mission statement, and the logo. FOUNDATION WORK We have been providing monthly support to those living in sober living homes to encourage their recovery for the last 20 months. We typically drop off a “basket” of treats, goodies, games, etc. with a letter of inspiration. In October, we hosted an event in honor of Zach’s 21st birthday to celebrate the recovery community complete with taco truck, music, and games. Over 125 people attended and seemed to truly enjoy themselves. We have had the opportunity to meet amazing individuals many of which knew Zach. We have developed a website: zacharyhortonfoundation.org. The site is meant to be a resource for those struggling with the disease of addiction as well as their loved ones or friends. We will continue to expand the website focusing on adding resource information and educational material. Our goal is to create a site that was not available for us when we needed to identify local resources and support. Jim Horton, Zach’s dad, developed a podcast studio and began releasing a podcast series entitled “Zach’s Life: A Story of Love, Addiction, Loss, Grief & Recovery”. The podcasts feature a guest(s) and are meant to be both educational and inspirational. The podcasts are available on the website or can be found on Spotify. We developed a brochure to promote the Foundation and share our mission and goals with others. We have participated in several community events. Jim has begun speaking to several groups including community organizations such as Kiwanis and the Optimists Club. We hosted a community roundtable of treatment providers in December to discuss gaps in services within our community. It is our plan to continue to meet and act on some of the needs identified this year. We are currently working with an Elementary School on a pilot program that provides education and support to the parents of elementary school students on a range of topics including mental health and drug use prevention. The hope is to educate parents and prepare them to have open discussions with their children at the appropriate age. This is an effort focused on prevention as well as reducing the stigma such that if mental health or substance use issues arise, parents will reach out for help. We were recently approved to participate in the California Naloxone Distribution Project which will allow us to distribute Narcan free of charge. Narcan is an opioid antagonist that is utilized to reverse an overdose – it can literally save lives. One of our goals is to be able to provide treatment services or sober living home support to those who are unable to afford these critical services. We were recently provided with an incredible donation from two local treatment centers, allowing us to refer and sponsor individuals without funds in need of outpatient treatment. The Zachary Horton Foundation is on Facebook and Instagram to enhance visibility. We have provided support to several individuals who have contacted us, a few of which are from other states. We are grateful for the opportunity to be of assistance to anyone in need. In early April, hosted a Golf Tournament to raise funds as well as enhance awareness of the Foundation and its mission. OUR FUTURE Our work toward the Zachary Horton Foundation mission has just gotten started, and we have much bigger plans for the contributions that the Foundation will make in the future. We would like to build on what we have accomplished thus far and further our mission. We know Zach would be pleased.