About Us
Song for Charlie is a national family-run nonprofit charity dedicated to raising awareness about ‘fentapills’ — fake pills made of fentanyl.
We partner with experts, educators, parents and other influencers to reach the most vulnerable group: young people between the ages 13-24.
Our program highlights the emerging dangers of self-medication and casual drug use in the fentanyl era and encourages healthier strategies for coping with stress.
After the sudden loss of their son Charlie, Ed and Mary Ternan created Song for Charlie with one goal: to bring awareness to counterfeit prescription pills being sold online targeting young people. With your help, we can spread the word and save lives.
OUR MISSION
Growing up in our fast-paced world is stressful. Song for Charlie is a national family-run, nonprofit charity that encourages young people to choose healthy coping strategies over self-medication. We empower students to learn and share knowledge by providing research tools and promoting peer-to-peer learning programs.
OUR VISION
We envision a future in which the casual use of prescription pills is considered socially unacceptable, and in which sharing random pills is uncool. We endeavor to change the ‘quick fix’ mindset of self-medication in favor of more organic and sustainable strategies for managing stress and anxiety. To accomplish these goals, we must break through the noise and communicate with young people on their terms – go where they are; speak their language; and get them talking.
Charlie’s parents are dedicated to informing young adults, parents and educators about counterfeit pills like the one that killed their son in May 2020. Upon Charlie’s death, Ed and Mary were shocked to find that the fake fentapill problem was well known among medical and law enforcement authorities, but not by the most vulnerable group – young people between the ages of 13-24.
The Ternans believe the best way to address the problem is to warn people of the prevalence of fake pills and offer healthier alternatives for managing stress. They are determined to cut through the misinformation that exists about the fentanyl epidemic and provide fact-based resources directly to young people in plain language.
President
Vice President
Strategy Advisor
Technology Advisor
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Development Officer
VP of Communications & Digital
VP, Partnerships
Director of Strategic Programs
VP of Creative
Director of Multicultural Affairs
Chair, African American Advisory Council
Director of Outreach
Project Manager
Associate Director of Youth Health Initiatives
Director, New Drug Talk Oregon (NDT OR) Program
Oregon Outreach Coordinator
