Matthew Perry's Foundation Looks to His Memoir for Guidance: We Hear Him Saying 'Help as Many People as Possible' (Exclusive)

Those who were closest to actor Matthew Perry are understandably emotional on the anniversary of his death.

To his longtime team, manager Doug Chapin, publicist Lisa Kasteler-Calio and business manager Lisa Ferguson, their love for Perry, who died on October 28, 2023 at age 54, and his determination to help others struggling with addiction prompted their involvement in the Matthew Perry Foundation in the US, which was established shortly after his death.

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Matthew Perry.

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Their mission today is to make grants to local organizations that “want to fill in the gaps in people’s recovery,” says Chapin, who is chairman of the foundation’s board. “One of the reasons it’s hard not to be emotional is because this organization was created out of love for him, what we all share is this act of love for him.”

The foundation, along with the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, which was founded by the actor’s family, turned Perry’s 2022 memoir. Friends, lovers and the big scary thing into a kind of draft.

“We are guided by the book. We didn’t have to look for a mission. We had that,” says Kasteler-Calio, who is the executive director. “Matthew was so brave in writing that book and letting people in the room with him. He didn’t leave anything out. And the motivation was not to become more famous or make more money. It was to do what turned out to be the most important thing he wanted to do, which was to help people.”

One of the main goals of the foundation is to fight against the stigma of about 48 million Americans who struggle with the disease of addiction. “Only a fifth of those 48 million seek help because of shame,” says Kasteler-Calio. “[Perry] was so convinced that he was less than, that he was never good enough. I believe his life would have been much different if he had realized it wasn’t his fault.”

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Matthew Perry.

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“The thing that keeps people from seeking help is stigma,” adds Chapin. “So it’s kind of a big kahuna. And then helping people along the way became project-specific for us in a way.”

The more than 20 initial grantees include groups like The Wall Las Memorias, which supports LA’s Latino and LGBTQ+ communities, and a program that offers telehealth addiction counseling to inmates at California’s Santa Rita prison.

The foundation also funds the Fellowship in Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, the first program to bear Perry’s name. Led by Dr. Sarah Wakeman, a national leader in addiction medicine, the fellowship will provide advanced training. “She came up with this one-year program where doctors can get training in how to deal with the disease,” says Kasteler-Calio, noting that they have committed to funding a total of four scholarships over four years.

Matthew Perry.

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As for funding, “we’ve had and continue to have a lot of support from his fans and his estate, and that’s enough to get us started,” Chapin says. “But we need and welcome more people to participate.”

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Now, with Perry’s memories sustaining them, his former team remains focused on the task at hand. “We’ve spent a lot of our careers helping him achieve what he wanted, to, I believe, in his absence achieve his primary goal of wanting us to be remembered for helping people,” Chapin says.

“And just knowing, honestly, how he would feel about what we’re doing, that means everything to me,” adds Kastler-Calio. “I just know he’d be thrilled with the work we’re doing.”

For more information and to donate, visit the Matthew Perry Foundation.

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Source: HIS Education