Because growing up in a home with addiction is difficult.
Children deserve their own support & recovery resources.
Support for kids & families since 2008
Our Mission.
To decrease the adverse impact addiction within the family has on children and increase stability for families in early recovery.
You can be ok.
Children need to know that whether a parent gets healthy or stays stuck in addiction they CAN be ok.
And…
Families in recovery from addiction CAN and DO get better. It just takes time, effort, and lots of support.
How we help.
Workshop schedule TBA. The health of our participants is very important to us. Workshops will be held when it’s safer to do so. In the meantime, check out the just for kids page!
Free workshops.
The Seven C’s Workshop Series is the heart of who we are as an organization. Geared toward children ages 3-12 and primary caregivers, this evidence based program uses fun and play to help children cope with addiction in their family.
The goal of the workshop program is to help kids separate the parent they love from the illness that hurts.
Email lauren@rileyutah.org with questions. Online forms coming soon!
Scholarships.
The Essential Need Scholarship Program awards small grants for families in early recovery to address certain critical needs. We believe alleviating appropriate financial burdens creates a home environment that feels more secure for children and less stressful for parents.
The goal of the scholarship program is to decrease the adverse impact addiction has on children by increasing stability in the home.
Email contact@rileyutah.org with questions.
Other programs.
In addition to the workshop series and scholarship program, each year we provide children and families with other forms of financial assistance.
Our Sub for Santa program provides Christmas assistance for families in early recovery experiencing financial need.
Hattie’s Fund grants small awards for children of addiction to access extracurricular activities and special interests such as art, music, and hobbies.
Just for kids.
We’ve created a recovery community just for kids with resources focused on fun and support. It includes monthly activity downloads with age appropriate addiction education, tools for coping with challenges and spaces to share their creativity with other kids from similar backgrounds.
The goal of just for kids resources is to create a safe space for children of addiction to receive unconditional support and understanding.
Tools for caregivers.
Whether you are a biological parent, “for now” parent, or another caring adult, we want to provide resources that help you support the child you love. The challenges children experience when addiction is a part of their home is significant. However, there are a lot of simple things any adult can do to help children cope with their loved one’s illness. First, is acknowledging that kids don’t have to witness drug or alcohol misuse to be impacted by addiction dysfunction.
Coming soon!
Personal stories.
Hear from the families we serve how the Riley Foundation has been a positive part of their recovery and healing.
Why we started.
Riley’s Story.
by Ryan Salter
My friend Riley died from his addiction. In addition to countless friends and a loving family, Riley’s young son was left to cope with the major loss of losing a parent. Though his death felt very sudden at the time, I realized we had all watched Riley fight addiction for many hard years. Int the beginning it was easy to miss the progressive toll addiction was taking on him because, at a glance, Riley appeared happy. But a closer look exposed the depression, agitation and underlying disappointment he had with himself.
Riley knew his part in his illness. If he were writing this he would have been very open about it. He wanted sobriety and fought for it with all he had. But in the end, the disease was just bigger than him. When Riley died, I remember hearing a Bruce Springsteen song that did the best at representing what I was feeling. “They say you can’t take it with you, but I think that they are wrong. Cause I woke up this morning and something big was gone.”
Building a legacy for Riley.
We started a foundation in Riley’s name to try to fill the giant void that was created with his death.
Every individual who succumbs to his or her addiction was someone’s child, sibling, parent or friend. Loved ones left behind to bear the loss mourn, not just the physical absence caused by death, but the severed potential their loved one’s life had as well. Dreams that will never be realized, and a story left unfinished. When someone like Riley is struggling, we want them to have access to as many resources they need to successfully manage the disease.
Many adults struggling with addiction today, didn’t receive the support they needed in their youth.
Young children impacted by parental addiction, like Riley’s son, are a profoundly under-served demographic. Without support, children are left traumatized by their interaction with the disease and the effect it has had on their family.
Children deserve to have recovery resources that help them put their loved one's disease into perspective and provides them with the tools they need to cope with their experience.
National Children of Addiction
Awareness Week (each February)
One of the the most helpful things we can do to support children in families with addiction issues is learn about the impact addiction has on kids. It's HARD but it's important. Shame prevents lots of adults from looking at addiction from the lens of the kids. Beyond the shame is the fact that there is a lot that we can do to help kids be ok, while separating the parent they love from the illness that hurts.
Check out the amazing and brave kids in this Emmy award winning Nick News segment with Linda Ellerbee.