CONNECTION & COMPASSION
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Connection&Compassion Community Foundation came to be because the founders spent many years volunteering in their community with the Tri-Region Pay Forward Kindness Society (PFK). Vanessa Fales and Trisha Vyse founded PFK, Vanessa was determined to bring something positive out of her brother's passing, and Trisha has advocated for youth mental health for many years on behalf of her daughter. Trisha and Vanessa began building relationships with the homeless in our community and saw that there was a bigger need than they had ever imagined. PFK started, and as the organization grew, so did the donations from other community members. Jordyn and Victoria began by volunteering at PFK where they spent countless hours engaging with the unsheltered community. During their time as volunteers, it became apparent that there were many adolescents facing the same issues as those they worked with at PFK but they realized that the need was far too great for a single, volunteer-run, community-funded, organization to oversee. "Although we will always love and respect the lessons we learned and the experience we gained from PFK, we felt that opening our own organization would be the most beneficial way to continue the mission that Vanessa and Trisha started all those years ago. We believe that everyone deserves a chance a life, everyone deserves empathy and compassion, and everyone has the capacity for change."

- Victoria and Jordyn