LI Charity Gifts $30K To House Youth With Substance Abuse Disorders

BRENTWOOD, NY — One Long Island organization is making strides in helping young adults affected by substance abuse.

The John R. Brower, Jr. Foundation recently presented Outreach, one of New York's leading nonprofit providers of life-saving services for substance use disorders and behavioral health, with a gift of $30,000, a release said.

The donation will underwrite a room in Outreach’s new young adult treatment residence in Brentwood, which will be named in memory and in honor of the Brower family’s late son, John Jr., who died of opiate addiction in 2015 at the age of 25.

"We are so thankful to the Brower family for all their support over the years," said Debra Pantin, president and CEO of Outreach. "John, Sr., Jody and their children, Robert and Kristen, have been devoted to Outreach and to the ideal of making a difference in the lives of families affected by opiate addiction."

Outreach’s new 25-bed residence, which will serve young adults ages 18 to 25, is expected to open in late 2023. According to a press release, the new facility will also contain a dining hall, kitchen recreation area, counseling rooms, classrooms, and tech areas.

"This new young adult program will serve a group that has been under-served in the past, but was especially hard hit during COVID," said Pantin at the facility's groundbreaking in June. “Many young people, unfortunately, turned to substance abuse during the pandemic and have been adversely affected. With this new building, and the service it will provide, we hope to reduce that problem here on Long Island.”

The foundation has raised funds to support treatment and research, and has donated more than $200,000 to date to Outreach in support of the agency’s treatment services, a press release said.

To learn more about Outreach, click here.

To learn more about the John R. Brower, Jr. Foundation, click here.