The Abbey Foundation

The Abbey Foundation is an American non-profit organization dedicated to fighting the epidemic of addiction in the United States. It was set up in 2009 in Bettendorf, Iowa and operates next to The Abbey Center (an in-patient addiction treatment clinic).

History
The Abbey Foundation was set up in April 2009 and operates next to The Abbey Center. It was originally set up by Joseph L. Lemon, Jr. and as of August 2009 employs three other people - Punit Sharma, Paul Gleason and Tom Zacharski. They are all outreach coordinators.

Official Mission Statement
According to The Abbey Foundation's website, the official mission statement is the following: The Abbey Foundation has been set up in order to combat the epidemic of addiction in the United States.

The Three Pillars
The Abbey Foundation's mission is following a three-fold objective structure, something that is called the "Three Pillar" structure: ''We address the spreading disease through our active engagement in the three critical areas, which we call the "Three Pillars".
 * We prevent the addiction from spreading.
 * We help fund and realize research.
 * We provide financial aid to the ones in need.

Success in these three areas will minimize the epidemic.''

Prevention
The Abbey Foundation volunteers speak at conferences and various community meetings giving a presentation about the addiction problem. The presentation is available publicly.

Research
Members of the Foundation write their own articles, but also fund research conducted by other's. As of August 2009 three research papers were available on the Foundation's website:  Substance Abuse Treatment and the Baby Boomer Population by Punit Sharma The Economics of Addiction by Paul Gleason The Effect of Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) on Substance Abuse Treatment by Tom Zacharski 

Financial Aid
The Abbey Foundation has donated over $100,000 in scholarships to different clients at The Abbey Center in Bettendorf, Iowa. The Foundation plans to expand its scholarship program so that it also aids people seeking treatment in other facilities. Most of the Foundation's recipients were people with an alcohol or substance problem coming from the Midwest.

Other
The Foundation also provides information to anyone seeking knowledge about addictions and serves as a contact for media personnel, mostly from the Midwest region of the United States.

Donations
The Abbey Foundation runs an extensive donation's program for both corporations and individuals. The donor's list includes the Lemon Family, The Abbey Center and a few anonymous donors.