TESTIMONIALS

As a first responder, it's easy to feel like your carrying everything alone. With You changed that for me. They showed up when I didn't even know how to ask for help. Whether it was quiet conversations, peer support, or just knowing someone truly understood...they reminded me that I wasn't alone, and that my story mattered. With You didn't just support me...they walked with me!

The CISM class I attended had a huge impact on me. It really showed me how important CISM is for a fire dept. Also how vital a role I can play in having a big impact in somebody’s life when it comes to dealing with a tough situation. It was a good reminder on what to do, and an even bigger help when it came to what not to do. The CISM class is definitely a great tool for any first responder to have with them. With You hosting it made the class very stress free. The With You organization provided meals, and great conversations during breaks. They made the class more enjoyable just by there attention to detail and genuinely caring for us.

As a first responder, I’ve faced battles that most people don’t see—mental health struggles, burnout, and moments of doubt. With You doesn’t just offer support; they truly understand because they’ve been there too. Knowing someone walks beside me through those unseen fights has made all the difference. Their mission feels like a lifeline, reminding me I’m not alone.

For 23 years, I stood on the front lines of law enforcement, bearing witness to the profound trauma this job lays at our feet. I’ve lived the isolation of the darkness and felt the devastation it brings—the anger, the fear, and the gnawing feeling that no one truly cares or understands. I came up in an era where mental health was simply not discussed. Another dead child, and the unspoken command was always "suck it up," move to the next call. There was no processing, no off-loading of emotions; just pack it away and try to forget. No one tells you when you become a cop that it will forever change you. They don’t tell you about the sleepless nights, the haunting echoes of those experiences you tried to bury. No one warns you that you might never truly fit into "normal" society again, that you'll struggle to see people at face value. And they certainly don't tell you about the incredible bonds you’ll forge with your brothers and sisters in blue—a love born from fear and chaos, a shared pain that remains unspoken because "real cops don't cry." The tears come later, in solitude, especially when a friend, a comrade, is gone by their own hand, and you’re left with the crushing weight of what you feel you couldn’t prevent. About 14 years ago, I said, "No more." I sought help, stepped out of that overwhelming darkness, and broke the mold that had kept so many of us trapped. My healing journey continued by extending a hand to others, becoming the person, they could talk to—someone who would find them help outside their agencies, away from prying eyes. Slowly, the world began to change. We started to acknowledge that everyone in our profession is damaged in some way. No one who witnesses what we see is immune, so why should we feel ashamed? We answered the call when no one else would; we were wounded, but we are not lost. This is what "With You" is all about: bringing light to the darkness. It's about education and understanding, erasing the stigma we’ve all carried. We’re here to provide resources to those who might never have asked for help, or perhaps never even realized they needed it. Because when we bring light to the darkness, we truly begin to heal.

I wasn’t directly receiving services from With You, but I was still impacted in a powerful way. There was a moment before I was set to sing—I always tend to get extremely nervous before AND after—and Allen Cormier noticed. He didn’t just offer a quick, ‘You got this.’ He stayed with me on the field, walked out with me, and spoke calm, encouraging words before and after. That kind of presence, that kind of care—it speaks volumes about the heart behind With You. Their support goes far beyond what’s visible, and it’s deeply felt.

Being a first responder for 10 years, I’ve first hand seen and experienced the stressors of the career and what it does to one’s mental health. It’s a reality less talked about and often overlooked. Being the problem solver, it’s often hard to turn to the outside world with problems of your own, because you don’t create problems, you’re expected to fix them. Years of demand, stressors, expectations of perfection, anxiety and more, will typically get buried down deep because there’s no time to treat yourself or you have the fear of “what would others think of me”. More often than not you hide what might be considered a problem because we fear the idea of being seen as weak or less. Humans aren’t meant to endure what most first responders experience, and we forget that. 

‘With You’ is a phenomenal organization operated by first responders to help first responders. First responders in a whole take on the role of therapist/counselors in the community more often then not and now with ‘With You’ the organization can help a career within. First responders know what first responders deal with firsthand and the connection to that reality is unmatched. It’s comforting knowing that myself, along with others have the opportunity to help those that dedicate so much to the betterment of the communities they serve.