National Nonprofit Will Use Funds to Reduce Addiction
Press Release – NEW YORK, NY – January 30, 2017 – Shatterproof, the leading national nonprofit working to reduce the devastation of addiction, has received a $600,000 grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. The grant was awarded to Shatterproof to support its work in protecting loved ones from addiction to illicit prescription drugs and alcohol. Shatterproof works to end the stigma and suffering of those affected by this disease.
The Helmsley Charitable Trust began making active grants in 2008 to support a wide range of charitable causes, primarily including medical research and health institutions.
“We are deeply grateful to Helmsley for their generous contribution to our organization.” says Gary Mendell, Founder, Chairman and CEO, “The Helmsley Charitable Trust has had a tremendous impact in so many diverse areas of health. We are so pleased that it has enabled our organization to comprehensively address the disease of addiction and make enduring improvements to the way that we prevent and treat this devastating disease.”
Addiction is a chronic disease that is currently plaguing the United States. The nation is experiencing an epidemic of drug overdose deaths that have now overtaken car crashes as the number one cause of accidental death. Beyond the human toll, addiction is costly for the healthcare and criminal justice systems, as well as the economy in lost productivity – totaling upwards of $400+ billion annually. After surveying the fragmented response to this public health crisis, Shatterproof was founded to address the urgent need for a national entity to tackle the problem comprehensively and to reduce the devastating impact of addiction on families across America.
Shatterproof works expansively to reduce the devastation of the disease of addiction by providing evidence-based resources, creating a community, advocating for change, and developing evidence-based solutions, all while addressing the stigma of addiction. In just over three years, Shatterproof has been able to pass life-saving legislation in 11 states. With the generous contribution of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, Shatterproof will build long-term capacity and sustainability in order to provide resources for more than 22 million Americans who are affected by substance use disorder and their families.
About Shatterproof
Shatterproof is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the devastation the disease of addiction causes families. Shatterproof works to end the stigma and foster a community of support for families. Shatterproof provides families with evidence-based resources to support prevention, treatment and recovery. Shatterproof advocates for changes in policy at the federal and state level and supports the development and implementation of evidence-based solutions for substance-use disorders.
About Gary Mendell
Gary Mendell is the founder and CEO of Shatterproof, the leading national nonprofit dedicated to reducing the stigma of addiction and the devastation it causes families. Mendell has spent more than 25 years as an entrepreneur. He founded HEI Hotels & Resorts, a multi-billion-dollar company that oversees 70 hotels, and he previously served as President of Starwood Lodging Trust. Losing his son, Brian, in 2011 after a ten year struggle with addiction, Mendell made a promise to spare other families from this tragedy. Shatterproof was created to change how addiction is perceived, prevented, and treated in the U.S. Mendell received his B.S. from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and his MBA with distinction from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
About the Helmsley Charitable Trust
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health, place-based initiatives, and education and human services. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $1.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. For more information, visit helmsleytrust.org.
