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• After two years of diligent work, Tom and Jenn Ashcraft have formed a nonprofit organization to help those who have been impacted by traumatic experiences in their life. This includes those who have PTSI (Post Traumatic Stress Injury as we call it) as well as people who have been impacted by the trauma of loss and grief. Those in need of assistance participate in the 13-week courses in a safe and confidential setting to avoid any stigmatism in the workplace or by their peers. The courses have proven to be effective and have helped numerous participants.

• “We call it PTSI (Post Traumatic Stress Injury), because it’s not what’s wrong with you; it’s what happened to you. It’s a mind and soul injury, like a wound that needs to be taken care of. Anyone who has witnessed and/or has experienced trauma or a loss in his or her life can develop symptoms of PTSI. However, PTSD sounds like there’s something mentally and permanently wrong with you. You can heal from PTSI, but the first step is knowing the symptoms”.

• It was through common tragedy that Tom and Jenn met, and then married in 2015.
• Jenn, a 17-year community volunteer with the Prescott Red Cross needed help getting through the devastation and symptoms of PTSI after the World Trade Center  terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And again, prior to that, she was in the North Tower during the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 and ran for her life. She knows how tragedy can alter one’s life.

• Tom, who lost his son, Andrew Ashcraft, a Granite Mountain Hotshot, in the Yarnell Hill Fire on June 30, 2013, also developed symptoms of PTSI. Tom unfortunately had a double trauma, as he witnessed first-hand the fire exploding out of control as he was traveling through Yarnell that day. Shortly after, it was confirmed that his son and his 18 co-workers had perished in that fire.

• Tom met Jenn in 2013 after the Yarnell Fire as she helped with Red Cross emergency services, planning the memorial and funerals. They married in 2015 and shared the same goals to bring healing courses to the community.

• Jenn and I found that we shared the same deep compassion for others; to help those who have experienced the trauma of loss and grief. We also had the same goals in mind, to hold healing courses for our community in Prescott, Arizona

• When I met Jenn, she was providing emergency mass care through the American Red Cross. My son, Andrew, passed away in the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013, and Jenn was there helping the 19 families and assisting with planning of the memorial service. The Red Cross also helped get my older son excused from military duty so he could attend his brother's funeral services. Until you lose a child, you do not know how deeply that loss cuts into your heart and the level of help you need to get through each and every day.

• We realized that there was limited long term after-care for grieving parents or first responders in our community  after such tragedies. Especially, there were limited faith based programs offering spiritual help and guidance.  

• The lack of long-term help for those grieving parents, family members and first responders returning to work weighed heavily on both of our hearts.  Both of us lived through such times, as Jenn had also experienced a traumatic event in her life during the attacks of both 1993 and September 11, 2001.

• With the help of many community friends, donors and sponsors, we will move forward providing faith based healing courses, counseling, and much needed long term after care. 

God bless you all and thank you for supporting us and our mission.