Serenity Renewal for Families

What Serenity Renewal for Families does

Serenity Renewal for Families is a registered Canadian charitable non-profit (Charitable #11914-5787-RR0001) founded in 1983 by Sister Louise Dunn and Alexa Smith in Ottawa, originally financed by the Congregation of Notre Dame. The organization provides short-term counselling for individuals, couples, and families affected by addiction, alongside adult educational workshops (e.g., "What About Me? I Matter Too!", "I'm in Recovery, Now What?") and evidence-based children, youth and family programs including the CAMH-endorsed Strengthening Families for the Future, BABES, PhotoVoice, and the 2024-launched REBOUND Choices school-based prevention program. Service delivery is human-led and program-based rather than technology-led; no proprietary platform, software, or AI capability is described, and the technology footprint consists of a public website, social channels, email newsletters, and traditional in-person and virtual workshops.

The business and revenue model is a hybrid non-profit operating on an annual budget of approximately $220,000, of which roughly $100,000 is generated through sliding-scale client fees (e.g., $160 per adult workshop, $150 per four-week program, $140 for Strengthening Families, $200 per summer camp) with 100% subsidies available and no client turned away. The remaining operating funding is sourced from charitable donations, grants, donor matching campaigns ($20,000 and $26,000 matched initiatives), fundraising events such as Serenity in September, and planned-giving vehicles including wills and monthly giving. Capacity is heavily supplemented by approximately 12,000 volunteer hours per year, many contributed by former clients who transition into staff or facilitator roles. Go-to-market is community-led and referral-driven, leveraging 12-step meeting networks, healthcare provider referrals (CHEO, FASD Network), the Catholic School Board, and CAPSA, with operations and impact concentrated exclusively within Ottawa, Ontario.

Name

Serenity Renewal for Families

Legal name

Serenity Renewal for Families

Website

https://serenityrenewal.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Serenity Renewal for Families is a registered Ottawa-based non-profit founded in 1983 that delivers addiction counselling, adult educational workshops, and evidence-based youth and family programs to approximately 2,000 individuals and families affected by addiction in Ottawa annually, funded via sliding-scale fees, donations, grants, and volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Addiction Recovery Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN), Parent Mental Health, Stress Management & Wellness Programs (EDACALAJ), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

Keywords

• Addiction counseling services
• Family support programs
• Substance use prevention
• Educational workshops
• Mental health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Client Fees: Fees charged for workshops and programs, with extensive subsidies available. The organization operates on approximately $220,000 annually, with about $100,000 covered by fees, though no client is turned away for inability to pay.
2. Donations and Grants: The nonprofit relies on charitable donations, grants, and fundraising events. Donor matching campaigns (such as $20,000 and $26,000 matched donation initiatives) are used to amplify contributions. The organization was originally financed by the Congregation of Notre Dame.
3. Volunteer Hours: Staffed mostly by volunteers, many of them former clients, who contribute approximately 12,000 hours annually to programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Serenity Renewal for Families provides short-term counseling (individual, couples, and family), educational workshops, and evidence-based prevention programs for individuals and families affected directly or indirectly by addiction. Core offerings include adult workshops (e.g., What About Me? I Matter Too!, I'm in Recovery, Now What?), children's programs (BABES, Strengthening Families for the Future, PhotoVoice), youth initiatives (REBOUND Choices), and specialized summer and March Break camps.

Product overview

Serenity Renewal for Families provides a suite of addiction support services centered around three core offerings: short-term counselling for individuals, couples, and families; adult educational workshops; and children, youth and family programs. The organization operates as a single integrated service model rather than a platform architecture. Core programs include the BABES prevention program for young children, the Strengthening Families for the Future program (CAMH-endorsed), PhotoVoice for teens, and the new REBOUND Choices youth education initiative. Additional services include specialized summer and March Break camps, support groups like Parents Forever, and workshops such as 'What About Me? I Matter Too!' and 'I'm in Recovery, Now What?' All services are accessible via a sliding fee scale with 100% subsidies available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Short-term Counselling

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 people served since 1983
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Catholic School BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 November 2024Partnership with the Catholic School Board for the REBOUND Choices program, designed to empower youth earlier in their decision-making years by going into high schools and elementary schools.
• CAPSA WOW FestivalminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 September 2023Serenity Renewal participated in the WOW (Working on Wellness) Festival, an annual event unifying Substance Use Health, Mental Health, and Physical Health communities.
• CHEO (Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partnership where CHEO refers families to Serenity Renewal for Families. Kerry's story describes being referred through CHEO after her grandson's ADHD diagnosis.
• FASD NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe FASD network referred families to Serenity Renewal for Families services, creating a pathway for families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
• Community Addictions Peer Support Association (CAPSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAPSA is a partner organization that works at addressing stigma through community engagement and education efforts. They host Recovery Day Ottawa and collaborate with Serenity Renewal.
• South East Ottawa Community Health CentreminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommunity health centre partner that provides space for Serenity Renewal's Strengthening Families program sessions at their Bank Street location.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Parents' Lifelines (PLEO): Canadian nonprofit offering peer support groups for parents of children and youth with mental health and addiction challenges. Comparable target segment (parents/caregivers of affected youth), similar peer-led delivery model, and focus on reducing family isolation.
• Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services: Ottawa-based nonprofit providing addiction counselling, family programs, and youth services. Direct local competitor serving the same populations (individuals, families, youth affected by addiction) with overlapping program types (counselling, prevention, family education).
• Pine River Institute: Ontario-based charity providing residential treatment and family-based recovery programming for youth struggling with substance use. Highly comparable family-centric model and use of evidence-based curricula like Strengthening Families.
• Community Addictions Peer Support Association (CAPSA): Ottawa-based peer-led addiction recovery organization that is also an existing Serenity partner. Directly comparable mission (recovery support, stigma reduction, community engagement); differs by being peer-driven rather than clinically supervised.
• Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre: Ontario-based nonprofit offering residential and community addiction treatment programs for youth (ages 13–21) and their families. Comparable in its focus on youth addiction, family involvement, and evidence-based programming (e.g., Strengthening Families).

Broad incumbents

• Kids Help Phone: Canada-wide e-mental health service providing 24/7 counselling and crisis support to youth. Comparable target audience (Canadian youth and families) and partial overlap in mental wellness/substance use prevention; significantly larger scale and digital-first delivery.
• Canadian Mental Health Association – Ottawa Branch: Established Ottawa nonprofit providing mental health and addiction services, including counselling, peer support, and family education. Comparable mission and local service area; significantly broader scope and larger operating budget than Serenity.
• Al-Anon Family Groups (Canada): Larger, established mutual-support organization serving families affected by someone else's alcoholism/addiction. Comparable to Serenity's family-centric recovery support mission but operates nationally via volunteer-led meetings rather than fee-based clinical programming.

Others

• ConnexOntario: Ontario-government-funded helpline and referral service for mental health, addiction, and problem gambling. Not a direct peer but a comparable ecosystem player that channels clients to organizations like Serenity and represents both a referral source and potential competitor for government funding.

Regional players

• Maison Fraternité (and other Ottawa withdrawal management / treatment houses): Ottawa-based nonprofit offering addiction treatment, housing, and reintegration services. Comparable in geographic focus and addiction recovery mission; differs by offering residential/treatment beds rather than Serenity's outpatient workshop and counselling model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SerenityRenewalOttawa
• Instagraminstagram.com/serenityrenewalottawa
• Xx.com/serenityrenewal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/serenity-renewal-for-families

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Serenity Renewal for Families