The AMERICAN BOY Project

Embracing the journey of recovery: one step, one day at a time. It’s a testament to patience, resilience, and the unwavering commitment to reclaiming our lives.

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Every step forward is a victory on the path of recovery. Remember, it’s progress over perfection. 🌟

Check out the inspiring journey of one of our 2023 scholarship recipients as they celebrate a monumental achievement: 120 days sober! Read their heartfelt message below.

TAKE THE JUMP AND BEGIN YOUR ROAD TO RECOVERY!

“American Boy was referred to me from my treatment center. I was one week away from completing 90 days of sobriety and knew the best scenario for me was a sober living home. I reached out to American Boy and to my surprise, the next day had a reply from Megan asking for more information. One week later, American Boy had approved my application and I am safely at home, and their support allowed me time to focus on getting a job. Sometimes the world is a really hard place. American Boy was that hand reaching out that I had prayed for.
120 days sober!”

We love celebrating your wins during recovery. Congrats to this scholarship recipient on 120 DAYS SOBER!!!

A message received from one of our scholarship recipients whose brother played in the fall brawl tournament last year:

“I grew up on Long Island with 2 brothers and a sister. I am the youngest of the four, and regrettably, the one that caused the greatest amount of trouble. My brothers were heavily in to sports (lacrosse) and my sister just went off to college, leaving me at home. I started a new high school and began dating someone I thought I knew better than I did. He and his friends didn’t play sports, they spent their time and money on drugs. Trying to fit in to any crowd, I reluctantly began trying things I never thought I would. My experimenting lead to he**in, and everything in my life changed. My relationship with family, and my siblings, I lost my job and I lost myself.

I need to remove myself from this chaos and fight to get back what I have lost. My brother played in your AMERICAN BOY FALL BRAWL last year and heard your speaker ask the crowd to stand up if they had been effected by someone with an addiction. He was the first to stand.

He has encouraged me to reach out and his courage to stand, means that he may think I am worth this chance, so I now need to have the courage to ask for help now too.”

Gratitude overflowing! 🙏 Our community’s support for AMERICAN BOY has been incredible. Together, we’ve funded scholarships for 93 individuals, transforming lives and offering hope in the face of addiction. This work, in memory of Matt ❤️, is truly life-changing. If you’d like to contribute to future scholarships, visit our website at AMERICANBOY.ORG. Every donation counts!

It’s okay to take your time, to ask for help, to start again. At AMERICAN BOY, we understand the journey to recovery isn’t always easy. Together, we’re here to support, uplift, and empower those struggling with addiction to find hope and healing. Every step forward is a victory. Join us in making a difference today.

Clay’s story shared by his mother, Cheryl:

Clay, our only son went to be with Jesus on December 21, 2018. He was 24 years old at the time. Clay was always for the underdog and had the biggest heart ever! Clay struggled with drug addiction for 7-8 years. I cannot be sure when it overtook him, but he fought a very very long and brave fight. Clay never met a stranger and loved well. His life theme was...”Friend of Love, any friend of love is a friend of mine”. God saved Clay’s life on earth so many times...I am sure Jesus intervened and decided enough is enough. I am very sure that Clay communicated, “momma, I didn’t mean to...the morning we were told he was no longer with us”. I so hope that those who need help with addiction will reach out through this program or email me and I will try to find support for recovery. There are programs that do not require insurance or help out there for those who have no means of payment. Please reach out. You are worth it!
You Friend of Love, Cheryl
Share a loved one’s story here in our community at AmericanBoy.Org

Share stories of resilience, hope, and the journey of addiction on American Boy. These experiences create a tapestry of courage that inspires change. Head to https://www.americanboy.org/share-your-story and let the world meet the warriors fighting battles within.

This quote is another WHY from a scholarship recipient at AMERICAN BOY.

We work to provide a way for people to break the harmful cycle that addiction creates. We cannot wait to continue providing this road to recovery for people throughout the rest of this year.

We always ask individuals applying for scholarship “why now?”— this is a response from one of our most recent recipients who is now in recovery. We are so happy they have found joy & hope throughout the recovery process and cannot wait to see them succeed in the future. ❤️

This article shares the story of a teen boy in Alexandria who started using fentanyl at just 14 years old. They share the severity of addiction among teens in the Northern VA area. It is scary to see how close to home these issues are & it is important to stay educated on the impacts that this can have on people of all ages. Check out the link below to learn more about this:

'I never thought this would be at my doorstep' | Teen shares fentanyl addiction, recovery journey The teen said he began using fentanyl at 14-years-old. At 16, he consumed up to five fake pills with fentanyl a day.

We love hearing from the individuals that we provide scholarships to. We would not be able to provide scholarships to these people without the help of all who donate and attend our events. Thank you to all of you for your support and we cannot wait to see all we help in the next year.

AMERICAN BOY is proud to share that in 2023 we were able to provide scholarships to 54 individuals. These scholarships would not be possible for everybody who has donated and participated in our events throughout the year. In 2023 we were able to expand our lacrosse tournaments to new locations, continue putting on our annual Virginia Run Turkey Trot, and meet so many new people. We are so grateful to have a chance to share Matt’s story through this journey and provide individuals with another chance at recovery.

The greater than 28 scholarship is so important to AMERICAN BOY and we are so grateful to provide these scholarships in honor of Matt. We appreciate all donations to these scholarships which can be done on our website— AMERICANBOY.ORG

Happy holidays to our family and friends!

HUGE thank you to everybody who came out to the thanksgiving day turkey trot in Virginia Run! We are so grateful to see so many new and old faces at the event helping us raise money for American Boy! ❤️

RUDY is helping set up today for the second annual TURKEY TROT With …. Held at community center tomorrow at 8AM!

We can’t wait to see over 1,000 runners and walkers tomorrow to start out a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Thank you to all of our sponsors!! LETS RUN!!

‼️3 days until race day‼️
Don’t forget to register for the VA Run turkey trot THIS THURSDAY! Race begins at 8 AM and we are taking registrations until 7:30 AM the day of! All proceeds from the race go towards American boy org!!

HUGE thank you to the sponsors of the upcoming Virginia Run turkey trot! We are so excited for this event and couldn’t do this without their support!! ❤️

‼️REMINDER‼️
The Virginia Run turkey trot is in 3 weeks!! Sign up today as a virtual OR in person runner, all proceeds will go to AMERICAN BOY!

HUGE thank you to everybody who came out to the annual AMERICAN BOY FAL BRAWL at Centreville HS! We are so grateful to see so many new and old faces help us spread the story of Matt. MAJOR thank you to the teams who came out




as well as our amazing speaker Derek Maltz Sr.

We are proud to have already provided over 75 scholarships to individuals seeking sober living or rehab. Again, THANK YOU, we could not do this without the support of you all ❤️❤️

Amazing day yesterday!!

Headed up to Centreville HS today for Fall Brawl 🤜🤛

11am | vs. Colgate
1:30pm | vs. Towson
3:30pm | Youth clinic

Please join us for the 2023 American Boy Fall Brawl!

Location: Centreville High School, Clifton, VA
Date: October 22, 2023

Featured Lacrosse Teams: UVA, Towson, Colgate, and Richmond

Great lacrosse! Free clinics! Plus raffles, silent auctions, tournament apparel and books!! All proceeds go to the American Boy Project to help families struggling with the Opioid epidemic.

Some pics from last year…. We have a event, kids clinics, PLL lacrosse player meet and greets and amazing teams coming THIS WEEKEND to Centerville High School! https://www.americanboy.org/lacrosse-tournament

Sign up today and let’s get ready for a great event!!!

and coming to northern VA October 22nd!

What a day with and at - all we can say is THANK YOU to the amazing support from all the teams today both men and women’s on this 10/10 day!!! All for a great cause to help fight against the and to help . We have given over 75 scholarships to people for sober living and rehabs and got to hear from one today with an amazing speech by with .

Thank you again for all the support! Matt would be proud of us!

Thank you , and for participating in our Fall Brawl to help fight against the stigma of addiction and . Amazing lacrosse today and we are so lucky to have so many teams behind us.