A Q&A with co-founder Lisa Daniels-Goldman about establishing the Jamie Daniels Foundation, the work we do, and what it means to her.

When Lisa Daniels-Goldman and Ken Daniels established the Jamie Daniels Foundation, they began with one question: What could have made a difference for Jamie and their family? The answers helped shape JDF’s work in prevention, recovery, and reducing the stigma surrounding substance use disorder.

In this Q&A, Lisa shares how Jamie’s experiences continue to guide the Foundation’s work.

When you and Ken started the Foundation, how did you decide where to begin?

When Kenny and I started the Jamie Daniels Foundation, we weren’t thinking about how many communities we would reach. We were thinking about Jamie, what we wished we had known, and what we wished had been available for our family.

Like many parents, I never thought substance use disorder would affect my family. When it became apparent that Jamie was struggling, we didn’t know where to turn for reliable information, guidance, or treatment. We had to trust a system we did not know how to navigate.

We couldn’t change what happened to Jamie, but perhaps we could find a way to prevent another family from feeling this tremendous pain.

How did those experiences help you choose the work JDF would support?

Through every step of Jamie’s journey, we wondered how things could have been different. How could we make it better for the next family?

We started talking to people, and then people started talking to us — from students and parents to doctors, schools, recovery professionals, and communities. We talked about what was missing and what was needed. We listened and tried to do something about it.

From the beginning, our work has been guided by prevention, recovery, and reducing the stigma surrounding substance use disorder.

What led you to support collegiate recovery?

One of the first answers came when I received a newsletter from Michigan State University, where both Jamie and our daughter Arlyn had studied. Inside was an article about the Collegiate Recovery Community on campus.

Would knowing about that recovery community have changed Jamie’s journey?

We’ll never know, but I do know other students deserve to know it is available to them. That article became the beginning of our commitment to collegiate recovery. Since then, we’ve supported collegiate recovery programs on 11 campuses across Michigan.

For students already in recovery, we want them to know they don’t have to choose between their recovery and their education.

These communities are also there for students who may be questioning their relationship with drugs or alcohol. One of the hardest things a young person can do is walk through a door and say, “I think I have a problem.” We want that door to be there.

We know the fear of being judged can keep people from asking for help. We want young people and their families to feel comfortable reaching out.

How did your experience lead to support for adolescent treatment and resources for parents?

The difficulty we experienced finding reliable information and appropriate treatment led us to help establish the Adolescent Addiction Recovery Center  (AARC) at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Troy. It provides specialized treatment for young people with substance use disorder, along with support for their families, regardless of their ability to pay.

Parents need support, too. One of the hardest things about being a parent in this situation is wondering, “What do I do now?”

That is why the ConCERN Project matters to us. With JDF’s funding, teams at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University are developing digital resources to help families find information, guidance, and support. We want parents to have resources we wish we had and to know where to turn when something doesn’t feel right.

Why has prevention become such an important part of JDF’s work?

If our goal is to create change, we have to reach young people before drugs and alcohol become part of their story.

Through our work with schools, we help children learn to manage stress, anxiety, and difficult emotions in healthy ways. We also support resources that help parents begin age-appropriate conversations with their children about substance use.

We want children to have those skills early, and families to have the information they need to help them.

What does this work mean to you personally?

I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together with our supporters and donors. I’m proud of the students we’ve helped and the children and families we’re reaching.

But I would give it all back if I could be sitting at dinner with Jamie. Yes, I am the co-founder of the Jamie Daniels Foundation, but I’m also Jamie’s mom, and I miss him every single day.

No amount of good work takes away the pain of losing Jamie. But we can help other families find the guidance, care, and support we wish we had.

We couldn’t change Jamie’s journey, but together we can change someone else’s.