MENTAL HEALTH NONPROFIT
WHERE FINDING THOSE LOST IN THE DARK IS OUR MISSION.
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There is Light in the Darkness
The Rapid Suicide Intervention Task Force is our crew of heroes. These Warriors work hard to find and help people who think there's no way out. They've stepped in just in time to help save 20 individuals on the brink of despair, proving that even in the darkest times, there is light and hope. Together, we fight to bring a ray of light to those in the darkest places.
WE ARE NOT JUST AN AWARENESS NONPROFIT, BUT WE ARE A NONPROFIT THAT TAKES ACTION.
No Shame Warrior Foundation stands strong with those who are at their lowest point, considering ending their life. Our goal is simple: make mental health a priority, knock down the shame in seeking help, stop suicide in its tracks, and promote positive ways to handle stress and sadness.
MISSION AND VISION
Mission: No Shame Warrior Foundation is dedicated to eradicating the stigmas associated with mental health and the pursuit of treatment. By raising awareness of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and suicide, we aim to deglamorize harmful coping mechanisms and encourage a culture of support and understanding.
Purpose: No Shame Warrior Foundation is committed to supporting, educating, and empowering individuals and families confronting the challenges of mental health disorders. Through the provision of a safe space for sharing stories and fostering mutual support, we aim to alleviate the struggles of those dealing with mental health issues or caring for a loved one affected by mental illness. We recognize the profound interconnection between mental health and critical social issues, including education, homelessness, and poverty. Our foundation is dedicated to connecting families with essential resources to guide them toward a more fulfilling and productive life.
Vision: Our vision is to establish No Shame Warrior Foundation as the leading mental health enrichment retreat within the community. We strive to offer individuals and families access to comprehensive, evidence-based holistic, and non-medical mental health services tailored to their unique needs.
NO SHAME WARRIOR FOUNDATION
Committed to Inspiring Hope
No Shame Warrior Foundation is a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Luis and Christina Fonseca. Originally founded as Luis Fonseca, No Shame it has evolved into the foundation it is today and continues to grow.
Luis and Christina are two people who individually suffer from varying forms of mental health and saw firsthand, in their own lives, how dangerous the negative stigmas surrounding Mental Health can be.
Get ready to live your best life. No Shame Warrior Foundation provides the tools needed to redefine your mind, so you can create the space necessary for the important positive shifts that make every day better than the last. With a unique approach for every audience combined with exceptional guidance and contagious enthusiasm, No Shame Warrior Foundation guarantees a lasting impression.
MEET THE FOUNDERS
Where the Passion Begins
LUIS FONSECA
President/Founder
Luis served in the U.S. Navy as a Hospital Corpsman for 22 years. During his time in service, he was stationed with the Marines, aboard U.S. Naval vessels, and at various hospitals and clinics. He deployed a total of nine times, including five boots on ground combat deployments. His experiences led to PTSD, anxiety, alcoholism, addiction, and a suicide attempt. His battle with mental health led him down the path of wanting to help others by bringing our nations mental health crisis to the forefront and deglamorizing negative coping mechanisms.
CHRISTINA FONSECA
CFO/Co--Founder
Christina experienced physical and sexual abuse, poverty, and homelessness as a child. She started her teen years in and out of the criminal system which led her to drop out of high school. Eventually her troubled ways brought her to a realization that she needed to make a quick and drastic change. She enlisted in the Navy April 4th, 2000, in an effort to better herself and her future. She served on Active Duty as a Hospital Corpsman for 21 years before retirement. Although the Navy provided many opportunities, gave her an education, and showed her stability, retirement didn't come easily. While she was serving, she experienced Sexism, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, and Rape. These behaviors were very widely acceptable. The Military culture made victims of these behaviors feel like they couldn't speak up without being shamed or somehow blamed for what happened to them. The PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, and thoughts of suicide this left behind was crippling.
MEET THE TEAM
ZACHARY WEST
Board Member
Zachary served 12 and a half years in the U.S. Navy before he was medically retired as First-Class Petty Officer. Durning his career he was deployed overseas seven times with aviation squadrons and ran a recruiting station in North Carolina. His personal and professional life brought emotional and psychological trauma. These issues led him to heavy drinking, extreme bouts of depression, panic attacks, and multiple suicide attempts. His mission since then has been to bring attention to those who feel the darkness closing in and bring light to their lives. His desire to end the stigma of asking for help is paramount and continues to be his focus.
SARA FREEMAN
Board Member
Sara is currently an active-duty US Navy sailor. She has been serving for 13 years as a Hospital Corpsman and is a single mother to her son.
She experienced psychological and emotional abuse at the hands of her biological father for many years of her childhood. As a young adult, she was sexually assaulted and went through physical and emotional abuse during multiple romantic relationships, including her previous marriage. In her first 7 years of active duty, she suffered from sexual harassment from leadership with little to no support. Her experiences with both civilian and military mental health has been subpar, which furthers her mission to not only improve access to mental health help, but the quality of the help itself.
TAYLOR BROCK
Chairperson of Fundraising
Taylor currently serves on active duty in the U.S. Navy for the last 7 years. She started her career as an Operations Specialist but eventually she cross rated to a Hospital Corpsman.
She has 3 boys and a wonderful husband. She experienced post-partum depression and depression/anxiety from various factors in her childhood. She personally has not suffered physical or sexual abuse, however, has been there in support of friends and family that are going through the everyday struggles. One of her favorite quotes is “It takes a village” and that applies to not only raising children but supporting others in our lives. Her goal is to bring awareness to by-stander intervention and ensuring others have tools to help their loved one.
SABRINA RAMIREZ
Chairperson of Diversity
Sabrina joined the No Shame Warrior foundation as a scholar in June 2022. She is a recent UC San Diego graduate with a B.A in Ethnic Studies. Before receiving her degree in Ethnic Studies, she also studied and received her A.A. in Behavioral and Social Sciences
with an Emphasis in Social Justice Studies & Chicanx Studies. Her work is designed to give the foundational knowledge to communities by teaching equity-minded/critical thinking, emphasizing diversity and inclusion, in all possible forms, by using a social justice and ethnic studies lens.
As a child, Sabrina grew up with an alcoholic and abusive father for 18 years. The events she experienced transcended into unresolved childhood trauma, that led into being diagnosed with ADHD ADD, PTSD, anxiety, and depression in her mid-twenties. Because of her mental health struggles, more recently she has influenced by the courses she has studied, Sabrina’s work transgresses the line between scholarship and community. because of this, her goal is to provide community-based healing, helping, and bridging the gaps between older generations and newer generations around the stigmatization of mental health. She is interested in working with other local/community-based groups to provide mental health support & services, resources to lower income families and people of color.
