History

The Tragedy

After a 10-year struggle, my younger brother, Steven, lost his battle against drugs. In 1988, he died of a cocaine overdose in the back seat of a police car. Steven left behind a beautiful five-year old daughter, a loving wife, and his family.

In 1994, my older brother, Eric, committed suicide. For 10 years, he suffered from a severe case of depression. Doctors say that Eric's depression - and death - was very likely linked to his long-term drug use that began in high school.

Following the loss of my brothers, I realized that they might have steered clear of drugs had they seen and heard how drugs would affect their lives - and how the devastating effects of drugs would end their lives.

A Vision for Lasting Change

My family was very close to Steven and Eric. The reality of my brothers' drug addiction and mental illness became an on-going struggle for the family. For 11 years, we searched to find adequate care-giving resources to help Steven and Eric get well.

Our search took us from to one dead-end to the next. Finally, we stumbled onto a few benevolent visionaries who ran privately funded programs that offered free treatment to young people suffering from substance abuse. These nonprofit centers encouraged us as we saw dozens of young people getting quality help that changed their lives.

My family also made another discovery during its search. We found drug prevention programs that targeted young people were not having lasting impact. We believed we could change that. After thoughtful discussion and consultation with education and drug experts, we decided to start the Sundt Memorial Foundation because we believed we could make lasting change in the lives of children.

The Foundation

With the support of my wife and family, I started The Sundt Memorial Foundation in 1994. I've now made a lifelong commitment to helping children hear the message of not using drugs and alcohol. I strive to do this in a positive way that will impact their lives forever.

Impact

Over the last 14 years, The Foundation has touched the lives of millions of kids across America through assemblies, educational materials, and our highly acclaimed Natural High video series. In 2005 Natural High 2 was distributed to over 114,000 schools across the country with the potential to reach 31,000,000 kids.

The feedback from this video has been overwhelming. Letters from teachers, parents, students, and law enforcement officers, give us tremendous encouragement that the Foundation is making an impact and changing lives. Read some of these powerful testimonials. We frequently receive letters and emails about our videos saying such things as, "This is best video I ever seen in 25 years of teaching," "Wow! My grandson has watched this a dozen times ... when is Natural High 3 coming out?" and a sixth grader said, "The video gives you a really good feeling - it makes you want to stay clean and healthy."

Our latest edition, Natural High 3, was sent out to every school in the country in October 2007. Again, this equates to over 114,000 schools and 31,000,000 students. That's a national impact!

Many of us have loved ones or friends whose lives have been ruined by substance abuse. But through effective prevention, we can save lives and help families create happy memories with their families, not sad ones.

And you can help. Visit our donate page to see how you can make a tax-deductible contribution. Also, tell a friend or organization what we're doing and get them motivated to help.

Together, we can make a difference.

- Jon Sundt
President and Founder