Our Story
After the founder experienced the heartbreaking loss of her 20-year-old son and her close friend to suicide, life was never the same. The pain was overwhelming, but so was the realization of how deeply that pain reaches. It does not only affect the lives lost. It devastates families, disrupts futures, and reveals the silent struggles so many carry every day.
In that grief, one truth became impossible to ignore: too many people are suffering in silence. Too many men feel pressured to hide emotional pain, depression, and grief because vulnerability is too often mistaken for weakness. Too many young people are left to navigate pressure, pain, and uncertainty without the support they need. Too many families are left trying to survive heartbreak while carrying the emotional and practical burdens that come with loss.
Choose U was created in response to that reality.
It exists to support men, youth, and families facing mental health challenges, grief, and life barriers by providing mentorship, community support, and access to resources that foster healing, resilience, and stability. It is built on the belief that people need safe spaces to be honest, support systems that help them move forward, and reminders that they are never alone.
Choose U also recognizes that healing is not just emotional. Employment, education, wellness, and housing stability all shape a person’s ability to rebuild and move forward. That is why the mission is holistic, connecting individuals and families to the support they need in every area of life.
At its core, Choose U is the result of turning profound loss into purpose. It is a commitment to creating hope from heartbreak, breaking stigma through honest conversation, and building a community where men, youth, and families can find support, strength, and a reason to keep going.
“Grief did not just change one life. It revealed how many others were hurting in silence.”
Dedication
In loving memory…..
Choose U exists because of two extraordinary lives that were lost too soon.
We dedicate this organization to the memory of Mandel Sly and Julian Contreras, whose light, kindness, and presence deeply touched the lives of everyone who knew them.
Their loss created an immeasurable void, but their memory continues to inspire a mission rooted in compassion, understanding, and hope. Choose U was created to honor their lives by ensuring that others who are struggling have access to support, mentorship, and a community that reminds them they are not alone.
Through every program, every conversation, and every life touched, their legacy lives on.
May their memory continue to inspire strength, empathy, and the courage to reach out when life feels overwhelming.
In their memory, we work to ensure that more people choose hope, choose connection, and choose life.