Our Mission

Every year, thousands of young Canadians lose their lives to substance use disorder. Many of these tragedies are preventable with timely access to treatment. The Patch Coffey Foundation for Youth Recovery (formerly The Simon Wood Foundation) supports youth and young adults (18-25) across Canada affected by substance use disorder - helping families access essential treatment and counselling through bursaries and financial assistance. In partnership with other organizations, we also advocate for expanded, publicly funded treatment programs and facilities.  

About THE PATCH COFFEY FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH RECOVERY

Why Support Us

Patch Coffey and Simon Wood grew up in nice family neighbourhoods of Toronto.  They were healthy and promising teenage boys, loved by his family and friends, and at a important stage of his young life.  Patch and Simon sadly passed away from an opioid-induced accidental overdoses.  The tragic losses of Patch, Simon and other youth has become far too common in Canada and drug addiction and substance misuse in young adults is becoming a crisis in our country.

We regrettably all know a Patch or Simon – a youth or young adult struggling with addiction or substance misuse disorder.

In the last 20 years, drug-related deaths have tripled. It's no wonder 70% of Canadians believe that opioid abuse is a critical and serious issue.  In 2018, 94% of apparent opioid-related deaths were accidental, and 73% of those involved fentanyl or fentanyl analogues.  That same year, Canada had 4,460 opioid deaths, which means one life was lost to opioids every 2 hours. Our children are at risk, and it will only get worse, unless we do something about it as early as possible. *

In spite of the obvious crisis, treatment options for adolescents and young adults in Canada are almost completely unavailable. If you have money, the only option for young Canadians in need of treatment is to go to private programs in the US, with higher levels of services and results.  But the unfortunate reality is the cost of these facilities and counselling services make recovery out of reach for many families.

For many youth that desperately need help, their families just can’t afford the cost of treatment. The Patch Coffey Foundation for Youth Recovery provides much needed bursary funds for the families of young people in need of substance misuse treatment who would otherwise not be able to afford it.  By donating to the foundation, you will help children in need access lifesaving treatment and go on to lead healthy, happy and addiction-free lives.

* Statistics from Health Canada and CMA