ABOUT #BECAUSEOFLOVE

Many people are carrying anxiety, grief, or trauma and traditional support often feels out of reach or not enough.

We offer something different:
an integrative program that teaches people to use storytelling, mindfulness, and screenwriting as tools for emotional wellness.

This Giving Tuesday, we’re launching the first-ever pilot of our Story-Based Wellness Program; a 3-month creative experience where adults and young adults learn to process emotions, rebuild purpose, and transform real experiences into story.

Because of love, healing becomes possible.

OUR GIVING TUESDAY GOAL

We’re raising $5,000 by December 2 to launch the pilot of our Story-Based Wellness Program; a creative, research-backed wellness experience serving 10–15 adults.

Our full annual program goal is $97,000, and this Giving Tuesday campaign helps us take the first step.

Every gift moves us closer to serving 100 participants through storytelling-based emotional wellness, documentary storytelling, and community healing.

WHO WE SERVE

We welcome anyone ready to grow through creativity, especially those underrepresented or underserved in mental-health spaces:

Black and Brown adults
LGBTQ+ individuals
First-generation and immigrant communities
People facing financial, cultural, or geographic barriers to care

Each cohort serves 50 participants, expanding to 100 in 2026.

OUR WHY

Traditional care can be expensive, inaccessible, or simply not the right fit for everyone.
More and more people are seeking something new: a safe, creative space to explore their emotions and transform them into meaning.

The inequities in care remain stark:

Only 39% of Black adults with mental-health challenges receive treatment (KFF, 2024)
Latinx adults are 50% less likely to receive care (SAMHSA, 2023)
LGBTQ+ adults face double the barriers to culturally competent support (APA, 2023)

We believe healing doesn’t only happen in clinics —
it happens through creativity, connection, and love.

WHY OUR PROGRAM WORKS

Our Story-Based Wellness model draws from proven research on expressive writing, connection, and narrative reframing:

Expressive writing reduces stress and depression
Storytelling lowers feelings of isolation by up to 35%
Rewriting one’s story increases clarity, purpose, and emotional regulation

We merge these evidence-based tools with creative skill-building.

Participants leave with:

✔ A written or filmed story of transformation
✔ Screenwriting and storytelling skills
✔ A stronger sense of self and community

BUDGET (FY 2025–2026)

Film Production & Editing: $60,000

Documentary + anthology film production (DP, sound, editing, color, equipment, post-production, music licensing, festival submissions).

Facilitators & Teaching Artists: $6,000

Session-based stipends for story coaches, mindfulness facilitators, and writing mentors ($30–$40/hr).

Creative & Program Materials: $3,000

Journals, story packets, mindfulness tools, writing software licenses, printing, participant kits.

Program Delivery & Logistics: $9,000

Venue rentals, insurance, transportation, snacks, accessibility accommodations.

Program Staff & Admin: $13,000

Part-time coordinator, bookkeeping, evaluation tools and surveys.

Marketing & Outreach: $4,000

Recruitment, community outreach, design, social media, ads, and screening promotions.

Contingency & Evaluation: $2,000

Data tracking, accessibility support, emergency funds.

TOTAL ANNUAL NEED: $97,000

Giving Tuesday Launch Goal: $5,000

Funds the pilot cohort (10–15 participants), facilitators, creative materials, and production of a short documentary capturing the process.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

100 participants served annually
90% report increased clarity and reduced anxiety
A series of short films + 1 ensemble feature premiere at Becoming Love Fest 2026

WHY IT MATTERS

Healing doesn’t always begin with diagnosis.
Sometimes it begins with a story.

Your support helps people explore new ways to heal, through creativity, connection, and love.
You’re not just helping people access care.
You’re helping them reimagine what care can look like.

Together, we can make love the language of wellness.

DONATION LEVELS

$25 → Creative Toolkit
$50 → Story Circle Session
$100 → One Month of Programming
$250 → Full Scholarship
$500 → Facilitator Support
$1,000+ → Film Cohort

THANK YOU

Thank you for believing that stories can heal.
Your generosity helps people reclaim their voices, rebuild hope, and discover new ways to become whole.

Because of Love, we rise.

#BecauseOfLove: Story-Based Wellness

Team Leaderboard

Team Members