Fighters for Hope - Fighting the stigmas of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

Welcome to Fighters for Hope

Fighters for Hope Mission:

Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention Coalition

Fighters for Hope (FFH) has a focused mission to increase awareness about mental health issues and remove the stigma about having meaningful conversations about suicide ideation and prevention. Through our two layers of message delivery, we provide first-hand deliverables to audiences at venues across the nation with heart-felt passion and intentional professionalism.

We partner with local behavioral health providers to ensure sustainable results. FFH also strives to provide constant care through our coalition group and a digital app, creating 24/7 access to immediate local help.

Veterans, first responders, at-risk youth, and vulnerable members of Indigenous groups are underserved and deserve the opportunity to change their narrative. Instead of losing so many to mental health issues or suicide, we must act!

About Fighters for Hope Coalition     

Fighters for Hope is a coalition of for-profit and non-profit entities that have joined forces to address mental health support and suicide ideation across multiple at-risk groups through ongoing education and inspirational events across North America. Our Fiscal Sponsor is Eric Ranks of The Veteran’s Connection, a 501c3 non-profit aligned with our mission of hope. We are thrilled to partner with people and organizations that share our dream of making the mental health and suicide ideation conversation an essential part of the behavioral health environment. We can no longer bury the need!

Why Us? / Vision

The stigma of mental health and the shaming process embedded in our culture needs to change. FFH approaches these issues with a combination of local providers, local sponsors, and local non-profits who align with local behavioral health providers to deliver world-class care. The key is “Local,” with programs designed to create increased revenue that stays in your community. Our partners ensure that locally sponsored events keep 50 percent of every dollar that crosses the threshold. We return dignity to the equation. We focus on the physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being of our at-risk participants. 

Our Deliverables:

Four Pillars ©
Coping with Grief on All Levels ©
The LEAP Approach to Intervention ©
Kicking Suicide to the Curb ©

Our Six Core Programs:

Lost In Transition ©
Four Pillars © Community “Boost” Camps ©
Dinner with a Winner ©
Prosocial Approach to PTSD ©
Grief and Micro-Grief ©
Optimal Journey to Oneself ©

Our Promise:

We will vette all local partners, so you don’t need to. We will provide training on our programs to all non-profits and behavioral groups we engage with. We will leave at least 50 percent of all revenue in the local economy with partners who will use the funds to benefit the at-risk populations they serve. We will do pro bono in-school events matching our paid events upon local administrator requests. We will provide on-site interventions for those who wish to participate. We will never walk away from those who need us the most. We will commit 90 percent of all donations back to the area generating the donation. We will provide access to resources and programs through our coalition and partners without discrimination. When we say, “No blaming, shaming, or judging,” that’s what we mean without exception. Can you make our promise a reality for your community?

Our Team

Buddy Thornton

Founder and Behavioral AdvisorPast Doctoral Cohort President at GCUMultiple International Best-Selling AuthorNoted Inspirational Keynote SpeakerProsocial Advocate for Change

I’m Buddy Thornton, the “Positive Social Change Agent Pro,” inspirational speaker, ongoing international best-selling author, mentor, and prosocial advocate for change through education and crushing barriers in behavioral health. As a parent coach, I have influenced the lives of countless people, primarily in the family space. It stands to reason that parenting would be a significant influencer for me since I am already a great-grandfather. My fifty-year marriage to my best friend and wife is my most significant source of gratitude.
I am a Vietnam-era Hospital Corpsman (US Navy 1972-1976). I earned my BS in Allied Health Sciences from UW-Milwaukee (1984), certifications in Mediation and Paralegal Studies from Lakewood College (2012), a certificate in Life Coaching from UDEMY (2014-recertification-2019), and my MA in Human Services Counseling and Executive Leadership from Liberty University (2014).
I was honored to be past president of the Doctoral Learners Cohort at GCU (2017-2018), where I completed my doctoral journey (2020). In my past, I was a PBA member from 1984 to 2011 and the owner of two successful supply chain companies from 2003 to 2014. I currently own BCT Mediations PLUS (2011-present), and I am a co-owner and course creator for Life and Legacy Academy. I founded Fighters for Hope, a coalition of 501c3 non-profits delivering events and answers in the Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention behavioral space across the US and Canada due to my extensive mentoring in the at-risk space. I am a consistent writer and podcast speaker, and my international best-selling series, The Slippery Slope, is the foundation for all of my passion for change.
Fighters for Hope is a legacy platform working with numerous non-profits to bring clarity to a significantly overlooked topic in today’s society: How to engage meaningfully with those suffering from mental health challenges and suicide ideation. Please join us in the fight!

I’m Robert Thornton, the Information Technology Director here at Fighters for Hope, with multiple courses in CompTIA Network Administration at Kaplan College from May 2002 to August 2002 and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Programming at Grand Canyon University from March 2018 to June 2019. Although I did not finish either program, I have real-world experience from March 2003 to March 2009 as the network administrator for Best Courier Team, LLC, and IT Manager/Web Designer for Courier Logistics Specialists, LLC from March 2009 to August 2014.
Living a life with cyclical depression is my inspiration for engaging in the behavioral care space. Without significant and meaningful support systems in place, I know I would end up in a very dark place, and I am eternally blessed to be working with a team of passionate experts who live to save others.
 Developing an awareness of the stigmas and conversations for mental health is crucial when it comes to seeking or providing help. Appropriate support and being vulnerable make a difference! Being a survivor of a failed suicide attempt in 2016 prompted by the depression that I have dealt with since I was thirteen makes the fight against the stigmas of mental health number one!   