Where We Are Is Not Where We Were

Where We Are Is Not Where We Were

When we started The Jewels’ Angels Foundation, Inc. in early 2017, we had no clue to what we wanted to do with our non-profit. All that we knew at the time was that we needed to do something that would slow down suicide rates. We knew we were mental health advocates, but to what extent we did not yet know.

However, finding investors, individual donors, and grants was more challenging than we had originally bargained. They wanted to see the program running before supporting us, but this was impossible since we hadn’t even started it yet, but they wanted us to prove our program’s worth. Such that we are a 501(c)(3) organization, we do not qualify for governmental loans such as an SBA loan, as a profit company would qualify, making our dream a challenge. We needed land to build our barn for our horses and without funding our efforts came to a halt.

Although our endeavor seemed like a dead end, we were determined to find a way to succeed. Too many young people were continuing to struggle with suicidal thoughts and ideations and dying, we couldn’t just sit quietly and do nothing. We knew some day the opportunity would present itself for our program so we were determined not to give up; however, bleak the prospect seemed.

A couple of years later a unique opportunity presented itself. We were to move to Montana. In January of 2021 we packed our bags and moved to Missoula, Montana, saying good-bye to our home state of California. While in Montana, I met a wonderful man who aspired for the same things I did. He too wanted to make a difference in the world of suicide awareness. He too believed in our mission and cause. Together we continued the mission of building our ranch where struggling teens would have a safe place to go and spend time with horses, a place of healing, a place to connect with other teens, a place to belong.

It’s been a journey and four years later we have a barn and are currently in the process of building our dream home on the beautiful mountain property, surrounded by trees in Anaconda Montana. Our dream for The Jewels’ Angels Foundation wouldn’t have been possible without the love and devotion that my husband showered upon me and our cause. He carried forward unwilling to give up when things got hard and seemed as if the dream of starting our emotional support horse ranch was out of touch. His unwavering commitment to us and our purpose to save those struggling every day with mental health challenges, depression, and suicidal thoughts, is a true witness to his devotion to both me, and those whom we are aspired to reach.

Along our journey, we have met some wonderful people who have helped to make our project possible, providing their hard work and determination in seeing that our project succeeds, and for them we too are grateful. Thank you to Jeff McQueary at M&P Excavating for seeing this through and never giving up on pushing the project forward, when at times it seemed impossible. Not only is he a great excavator with great work ethics, but I like to believe that he has also become our friend. Another thank you to Dan Frey with Frontier Building Group for his dedication to taking on a partially completed barn and turning it into something beautiful when it had seemed unattainable. His hard work and determination to get it finished during the winter months, with the roof being installed before any structural damage could happen once snowfall came, was commendable.

I am proud to call Anaconda home. It’s a place of community. A place were your neighbor looks out for you. We met some great people in this small town nestled in between the snow-capped mountains and pine trees. They welcomed us into their community as if we were one of their own. In return we want to bring a sense of relief and comfort with our Equine Therapy program by providing a service to help all teens grow into confident, self-empowered, strong individuals, slowing down, if not stopping suicide. As a community I believe that we can do this, if we stick together.

We still have a lot of work that needs to be done before our program starts, but I don’t doubt for a moment that this can be done. Sure, there may still be obstacles that try to get in our way and stop us, we have seen many of these along the way, but this won’t stop us from succeeding. When we started the foundation we had just the two of us, but along they way we met my husband, his wonderful family, and the beautiful community of friends and supporters we have gained along the way. I am excited to include the community of Anaconda now to our list of supporters. We can’t wait to continue what we started back in April 2017, turning a devastating circumstance into something beautiful. Jewels would be proud of us, therefore, we do this for her and for all the people struggling with suicide either personally or who have lost someone to this horrible thing called suicide.

Although Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is almost over, the need to take care of yourself and others is a lifelong devotion and doesn’t end in September. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or ideations, you ARE NOT alone. There is help. Reach out to us at https://jewelsangels.org,  text the National Suicide Lifeline at 988 or call them on their website at https://988lifeline.org. Never give up – although today may seem bleak, tomorrow may be your best day yet!