© 2025 Hunter Caparelli
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Joey Wish Inc., a local nonprofit, is raising money through August to support drug addiction treatment research. Joey Wish Inc. was originally founded in June, 2022, one month after Ann and Jason Morrell lost their son, Joey, to a fentanyl overdose.
Ann, chair of the foundation, said the mission of Joey Wish Inc. is to support research seeking to end the addiction crisis.
“For addiction, it’s going to help these people that are suffering every day, and that are dying,” she said. “It delves in deeper into the trauma that they have as to why they started using to begin with. But then now that they’re in heavy use, it helps bring them out of it.”
Joey Wish Inc. began a used shoe drive July 28, which Ann said has an added purpose and goes beyond raising money for their cause. After the shoes are picked up, they’re sent to developing countries in need.
Jason, director and treasurer of the foundation, said their goal is to double the number of shoes they were able to donate the first time they conducted the used shoe drive two years ago.
“Kind of set her goal a lot higher this time,” he said. “So, we’re going for 10,000 pairs.”
Additionally, Joey Wish Inc. hosted a putt-putt fundraiser for the third time at Fairmount Glen Miniature Golf on Aug. 1 and 2. Just like the shoe drive, the goal of the golf fundraiser was to grow awareness and raise money to fund the research that, according to Jason, will stop addiction at its source: the human brain.
Ann expanded on the type of research currently taking place to end the addiction crisis.
“Right now, the most promising research being done is physician-assisted psychedelic treatment,” she said. “They’re doing it at NYU, and they’ve had successful studies with alcoholism using psilocybin. We also just sent our first support check to Johns Hopkins, who’s doing the physician-assisted therapy for opioid use disorder.”
Ann said that when this treatment becomes available out of study groups and into the medical field, those who use drugs for anxiety, depression, and other various ailments will be able to receive proper medical care and attention.
Graphic courtesy of the Onondaga County Government
According to McLean Hospital researchers, psychedelic therapy shows promise as a treatment for various mental health conditions. However, psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA are currently classified as Schedule I substances according to a 2022 study published in Focus, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association. This designation, as stated by the study, makes psychedelics illegal at the federal level, therefore limiting research and accessibility.
While research is ongoing, like Ann mentioned, evidence from McLean Hospital and the 2022 study published in Focus, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association suggests that psychedelic therapy, when conducted safely and with professional guidance, can be a valuable therapeutic tool and may become a recognized treatment option as regulations evolve.
The foundation supports physician-assisted pyschedelic treatment, which shows promise in clinical trials at major medical institutions and universities.
According to the Onondaga County Health Department, fentanyl is the primary cause of fatal overdoses in Syracuse. Just last year, 90 people died from opioid-related deaths, with 81 attributed to fentanyl. In 2024, the overdose death rate in Onondaga County was 21.2 deaths per 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 23.6 deaths per 100,000 residents, according to the Onondaga County Health Department and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, last year’s overdose deaths in Onondaga County were the lowest since 2015, as you can see in the chart below.
Graphic courtesy of the Onondaga County Health Department
For local addiction treatment resources, residents can contact services including Addiction Consult Services (ACS), Withdrawal Management, and the Commonwealth Place Inpatient Rehabilitation Program. Syracuse’s Recovery Village Cherry Hill at Cooper offers addiction care between detox and inpatient rehab to outpatient sessions as well.
AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Local nonprofit raises funds to support drug addiction treatment research
Reporter Hunter Caparelli: “Joey Wish Inc. was founded after Ann and Jason Morrell lost their son, Joey, to fentanyl poisoning. Ann says their mission is to support research seeking to end addiction.”
Chair Ann Morrell: “For addiction, it’s going to help these people that are suffering every day, and that are dying. It delves in deeper into the trauma that they have as to why they started using to begin with. But then now that they’re in heavy use, it helps bring them out of it.”
Reporter Hunter Caparelli: “Jason says they began a used shoe drive, which has an added purpose to send shoes to developing countries in need.”
Treasurer Jason Morrell: “Kind of set her goal a lot higher this time. So, we’re going for 10-thousand pairs.”
Reporter Hunter Caparelli: “Ann says the most promising research materializing is psychedelic-assisted therapy for opioid use disorder, but she hopes their efforts can expand clinical trials.”
Chair Ann Morrell: “They’re doing it at NYU, and they’ve had successful studies with alcoholism using psilocybin. We actually just sent our first support check to Johns Hopkins, who’s doing the physician-assisted psychedelic treatment for opioid disorder.”
Reporter Hunter Caparelli: “According to the Onondaga County Health Department, 90 people died from opioid-related deaths in 2024 in Onondaga County, with 81 attributed to fentanyl. However, last year’s overdose deaths in the county were the lowest since 2015. Hunter Caparelli, N-C-C News.”