Creating a legacy of love and support

The Christopher Bremer Foundation (CBF) was created in response to unfathomable loss and grief. It’s the story of a family confronting a tragedy with courage and the determination to transform heartbreak into hope and healing.

In 2020, the Bremer family lost a beloved son, brother, uncle and friend to suicide. Chris was just 30 years old. In forming their foundation, the Bremer family and their supporters aim to connect people with resources to address mental health issues and to prevent other families from experiencing similar loss.

The CBF has several main goals: to contribute to initiatives that offer mental health resources and support to those facing challenges; to raise awareness of mental health issues and prevent the loss of precious lives; and to create change by breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health issues. They envision a society in which everyone feels valued and understood.

“We can honor Chris’s memory by building a world where no one feels alone,” said Debbie Bremer, the mother of Chris and president of the Christopher Bremer Foundation. “Working together, our goal is to create a world where the darkness of mental health struggles is illuminated by the light of compassion.”

“We can honor Chris’s memory by building a world where no one feels alone.”

– Debbie Bremer, President, Christopher Bremer Foundation

Close connections create community support

The owners and staff of United Insurance Agencies (UIA) have deep personal reasons for supporting the CBF. The Bremers are not only friends but also longtime clients of the agency, and their nephew joined UIA as an agent in 2023. The agency owners also know first-hand how difficult it can be for those in crisis to find the help they need in time — which is exactly what the nonprofit is working to change.

The agency supports the foundation by spreading awareness through its social media, sponsoring annual fundraisers and connecting the nonprofit with local businesses that may also want to help the cause. Several of the businesses they reached out to now organize their own fundraisers and donate the proceeds to the foundation. It’s precisely this kind of community building that spreads awareness and saves lives.

Solutions to save lives

Thanks to the outpouring of community support, the foundation has taken many direct steps to address mental health in the community. For example, it has installed signs in hospital parking garages with the phone number for a suicide prevention crisis line. They did this because many people have taken their own lives in these locations.

The CBF also pays to have counselors available to first responders and their families, at no cost to them, to help them deal with the emotional stress of their jobs. The foundation has also opened a clinic where people can seek immediate help rather than having to wait for a referral from their doctor, which has proven to save lives. In addition, the foundation is partnering with local schools and colleges to provide therapy tools and an app that people in crisis can use to seek help. All of these efforts are showing positive results.

“Seeing what the foundation has accomplished is so inspiring,” said UIA principal Garrett Svoboda. “Hearing the success stories makes us want to do even more because we know we’re making a positive difference together.”

“Hearing the foundation’s success stories makes us want to do even more.”

– Garrett Svoboda, Principal, United Insurance Agencies

Be a link in the chain of caring

Your vote can help the Christopher Bremer Foundation receive a $10,000 donation. The money would provide therapeutic tools for four local schools and pay for counselors at the newly opened mental health clinic “The Link at Bennington” providing free counselors to those in need.

Help United Insurance Agencies win $10,000 for the Christopher Bremer Foundation by clicking the vote button. Get them an extra vote by cheering them on in the comments below by October 4, 2024.