We recently had the chance to connect with Sara Springer & Amanda Bollenbach and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sara & Amanda, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
The overwhelm of living in a constantly connected world and the impact it is having on their collective mental health.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We are Amanda and Sara. We met pre-social media when our husbands were in a rock band together. Over the years we had babies and battles and realized we weren’t the only ones in the thick of it. We wanted to let others know they weren’t alone and that we could achieve so much more if we worked together than if we spewed hate online (it was 2016 so iykyk). Our first message was to #stophate. We took our message to a t-shirt, sold it, and donated the proceeds to Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center.
Our community was wildly supportive so we continued on another anti-bullying campaign, and designed a #kindnessmatters t-shirt and donated the proceeds of those shirts to Megan Meier Foundation.
We continued to build on the hashtag theme (it was circa 2017 after all) and our next project was to gather supplies for Project Safe Space, a counseling provider for refugee children in St.Louis, in the name of showing what love will do. Through each of these fundraising efforts we found mental help support and resources were desperately needed, but the conversation around mental health was still pretty closed off. Some of our earlier supporters began sharing their own struggles and submitted stories for others to read and relate too. We also found that in addition to the stigma around mental health, the cost was deterring people from getting the help they needed. We knew this had to change, and less than a year later in 2018, we officially formed Love Will Foundation.
Our mission at Love Will Foundation is to provide affordable counseling for eligible individuals, build a center of hope and compassion through community engagements, and educate to stand against the mental health stigma.
Our mission is supported by community fundraisers including a fun run/5k, an annual Halloween Trivia Night, holiday pop-up shop with mental health merchandise, and and all profits and proceeds go directly to counseling services for kids, teens and adults who otherwise could not afford it.
Over the years we have had to recognize our own limitations, so this year our annual Halloween trivia night is our one big fundraising event which is on October 25th. Our volunteers come together to make these Halloween trivia nights so much fun! We are currently seeking sponsorships, table sales, and prize baskets so that we can raise lots of money for counseling services and continue a tradition that has become a community favorite!
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Miscommunication seems to be a deal breaker and being willing to listen with curiosity and not judgement, we think, helps restore them. Too often people are quick to write others off over a misunderstanding or disagreements. There is so much more we all have in common, but you have to be willing to have those conversations with an open mind and open heart. It’s not easy, but at the core this is where “love will” became the mantra for our non profit.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes! About two years ago. We were burned out after COVID (who wasn’t). It felt like money was harder to raise and the need for counseling was even bigger. We had serious conversations about closing our doors. But, after many many many talks, we decided that we didn’t have to keep getting bigger to be impactful. Taking a break during that time so we could focus on our own mental health, and then come back stronger was what we needed.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
That mental health matters. That Love Will Foundation doesn’t have to be a national conglomerate for it to matter. That the ripples we are creating will help people. And those people- whether it’s 2 or 2 million, matter.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
We are a really small organization that is run by two part time volunteers (we are also mothers and full time out of the home employees in our respective fields) and we rely on a handful of our amazing volunteers, as needed. When we sit back and think about the number of people who actually need mental health resources and the limited number of people we can actually impact with our funding- it feels really overwhelming! But then we remind ourselves of the starfish story- it does matters to those we help. If we are able to remember our limits and honor them, then we can keep our ripple going. To date, we have donated $32,000 in counseling sessions, and we are so proud of that!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lovewillfoundation.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovewillfoundation
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovewillfoundation
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lovewillfoundation7250
