Welcome to our fifth Sam Chase Fund newsletter. Our intention is to inform you of resources aligned with our mission of helping young adults find their path to thrive,  showcase non-profits raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, make you laugh and maybe cry, celebrate the young friends we help along the way, and so much more. Thank you for being on this journey with us. In this newsletter you will see what we have offered already, and what we have in store for this summer. Do you have ideas for us? Give us a call, a text, an email, or a DM! You will receive these newsletters on the 27th of each month. 

We have hundreds of new subscribers so we want to start off and say thank YOU. Thank you for joining us and we are so grateful you are here. Please visit our website and read each tab to get a deeper understanding of all we are doing.

Announcements

Hi everyone! Welcome to the June newsletter. We are so grateful you are here! 

We have lots to fill you in on! We want to start out by celebrating SCF wins. Last week, we got the exciting news that the Sam Chase Fund was being recognized by the community as Nonprofit of the Year. This is a major accomplishment and we feel very honored to have received that award. We will be recognized on July 1st and July 4th in downtown Mount Shasta, so if you are a NORCAL local, feel free to come by and see the Chase Family + SCF Team. 

We want to say a huge thank you to everyone still donating and sharing. Within the past few months, we have received many donations helping our grand total reach just below $100,000 which is absolutely mind blowing. Our gratitude is not enough to express our thank you’s. This non profit has given us a safe space to use Sam’s light and make a difference in this world. We have not only been able to spread awareness, but use our resources to help young adults; we even had the chance to partner with Mount Shasta High School for the spring semester. We can’t wait to share what’s to come in the Fall. It is not always easy, we miss Sam, but seeing you all continuously love and support us helps to know we are making a difference and Sam is proud of us. 

Sam's Story

   In our April edition, we shared Sam's story. The amount of love & support that was poured into us gave us the hope we needed to know we are doing the right thing by opening up. Thank you for supporting our vulnerability and standing with us as we dive deep into things that can be normally shied away from.  

For more stories like Sam's, click below to view impact stories from other loved ones who lost their young adult to fentanyl poisoning. 

Resources

Fentanyl 101: What is Fentanyl?

We want to share what we are currently researching and learning, in order for us to share this vital information with all of you and continue to spread awareness and reach others. 

Opioid vs. Synthetic

Opioids are a class of drugs that are designed to reduce and relieve pain. Fentanyl belongs to this class, along with morphine, and oxycodone. In the medical field, Fentanyl is used for patients with chronic pain, as an anesthetic for surgery. Fentanyl not only reduces physical pain, but also psychological and emotional. In high doses, it is described as euphoric, which can lead to misuse.

Instead of forming naturally via the opium poppy, Fentanyl is synthetic - it is formed through a chemical process and is human-made. This allows it to be produced efficiently, because there is no agricultural or seasonal dependencies. The availability relies on the chemical ingredients and people able to make it, therefore making it cheap and easy to create.

Fentanyl is 50-100 times stronger than morphine, meaning it takes a lot less to achieve "relief" than other opioid drugs. This makes the drug lethal, even in the smallest doses. The difference between life and death is down to a few milligrams, which is about a few grains of salt.

This information was provided by Song For Charlie. To access a full page on facts about Fentanyl and FAQ, click below

PBS Documentary: Hiding in Plain Sight

The Public Broadcasting Service channel will be airing a documentary by Ken Burns called Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness. This film strives to spread awareness and empathy regarding mental health to young adults and children.

It premieres on June 27 & 28th at 9/8c on PBS. 

227 Applications are open!

Do you have a passion you want to pursue, but aren’t sure how to pursue it? If you are looking for help guiding you through your next step to explore your path, whether its college readiness, life after high school, mental health support, counseling,  or FUN summer trips & adventures, we want to help YOU find your compelling future.👇🏼

Here is an example of just a few of the things we can sponsor!

Adventure, service, leadership: https://www.outwardbound.org. 

Travel, service, leadership, culture: https://www.unitedplanet.org. 

Academic, post-high school readiness, career exploration: https://programs.scholarshope.org/register?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0PWRBhDKARIsAPKHFGhyEJOyOL9FQ6c5AYLdYkW0GrOcVTGIvu62Lck6W8nLtZoGkeU-NW8aAoN-EALw_wcB 

Spotlights

Celebrating our community's youth!

On another note: Along with spreading Fentanyl Awareness, our mission stands strong in helping to support young adults through their path in life wherever that may be. Everyone has a place in this world and we want to help you find yours. 

This past month we had many scholarship applications and we had THREE Sam Chase Fund scholarship winners! For the next three months we get to highlight the THREE recipients of our first ever Sam Chase Fund Scholarship. We awarded this $2,000 scholarship to incoming college freshmen in Siskiyou County, California for the 2022/23 academic year. Applicants must have a 2.0 minimum GPA and submit a compelling 750-word essay about a challenge, hardship, or mistake they have overcome and how that strengthened their commitment to grow and find a fulfilling future. We awarded these scholarships based on our  applicant’s potential, resilience, and grit, rather than past academic performance. 

This month, we introduce you to Caleb Hanson!

Please help young adults find their path by supporting The Sam Chase Fund with your tax deductible contribution.

Donations to the Sam Chase Fund are processed and administered by our partner, The Community Foundation of the North State. The Foundation is a 501c (3) non-profit foundation and all donations are tax deductible.

Thank you to everyone who is here reading this. Please feel free to share our newsletter to whoever you would like. Our website will always have updated resources available as well as our ongoing applications available. Our emails, DM's, and numbers are always open. We appreciate all of the questions many of you have asked and we will continue to be open and honest answering! 

 Congratulations to our scholarship winners! We are so proud of you and can't wait to watch you on your next step.

Know someone who can benefit from our resources ? Have questions?

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Explore the link on how you can join the fight in spreading awareness to the dangers of fentanyl poisoning.