When Anthony Clark and Tonya Garton lost their son Quintenn to a fentanyl overdose in March of 2021, their worlds came crashing down. Through the tears of planning their son’s funeral, Clark and Garton saw a clear vision of wanting to make a difference in Quintenn’s honor. From that grief, and from that devastation, their mission was born. “The day of his funeral, I read an article that said Cheatham County was number one in the state, per capita, for drug overdose deaths,” Garton recalls. “98% of the drugs seized here in the county, it said, have some amount of fentanyl in them. It was alarming, and we wanted to make a change.” Compelled to break the general public’s stigma surrounding addiction and offer recovery assistance to young men like their son, the pair initially planned to set up a scholarship fund at ARCH Academy, the youth center Quintenn once attended. Sadly, the lofty $20,000 start-up was out of their financial grasp at the time; creating a foundation to raise the needed cash, while also helping those struggling the way Quintenn did, was a worthy solution. The Quintenn Clark Foundation, started three months after Quintenn’s untimely passing, now
provides resources to promote recovery, supports those affected by substance abuse and alcohol-related addictions, and heightens community awareness. Because addiction touches countless lives in one form or another, and Cheatham County-where Quintenn was raised is crippled with a drug epidemic, people are truly passionate about making a change. This passion has helped fuel the growth and success of the foundation founded in his honor. Once Clark and Garton opened up and started telling their son’s story and their own struggles surrounding his addiction, more and more people came forward with their own experiences and support. The pair attributes the success of the foundation to the community that has stood behind them and their cause since day one. “Without the community, our foundation would have never been able to make the impact that it has,” Garton says with sincere gratitude. “We have seen so many find their voice to speak up and not be afraid to try and break the stigma surrounding addiction. Our community is the best around.” From the day they got that dreaded phone call, Clark and Garton have been able to donate nearly $60k to recovery services.
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