About
Mission: The Nicole Mae Foundation provides tangible assistance and emotional support for people who have endured systemic and other trauma resulting in psychological, emotional, economic, spiritual, physical, sexual harm, and posttraumatic stress. This includes, but not limited to combat veterans, domestic violence survivors, and youth aging out of foster care. We will stand in the gap to reduce suffering and remove the consequences and outcomes of inequality, injustice, marginalization, exploitation, oppression, and institutionally mediated traumatic dynamics.
Vision:
- Provide Support (Practical and Tangible)
- Wellness Center (Healing from Trauma)
- Policy Reform (Advocating for Positive Change)
The Nicole Mae Foundation was founded on the 1st of February 2020. Nicole experienced trauma at an early age that never healed. This later resulted in a lifelong drug addiction that not only destroyed her family, but led to the termination of her legal rights to her three youngest children. The children entered foster care and moved between 10 different foster homes over a three-year timeframe while rotating through 7 different case-mangers. The children experienced their own childhood trauma before and during foster care. Nicole repeatedly attempted to gain custody of her children, but due to a lack of systematic support for the biological mother, she was unable to do so.
Through the help of her younger sister, Christie Lamond, she entered into a yearlong rehab program where she successfully completed the course, attained employment, and acquired suitable housing. Unfortunately, her rights had already been terminated and her youngest sister already adopted the three children. Through an interstate compact agreement, the courts allowed the children to continue a relationship with their mother so as long as it caused the children no emotional/physical/financial harm. Christie continued fostering and watched as each mom strived to gain custody of their children, but lacked the support. After watching mom after mom do everything they are supposed to do in order to gain custody of their children, only for the courts to deny their rights to their children, Christie created a foundation geared towards assisting in the reunification process for qualified biological mothers.
The Lamond foundation (later renamed the Nicole Mae Foundation) was formed. Over the past two years several families have been healed, reunified, and restored. Nicole got to be part of the process in helping develop the programs that were needed to support the mothers journey. Unfortunately, Nicole neglected to continue receiving help for herself and entered into an abusive relationship where she was physically and emotionally abused. She often confided in her family about the abuse she endured and was developing a plan to leave. A couple weeks before she had planned to leave, she tragically died. While an ongoing investigation is pending, this led to the renaming of the foundation and expansion of services to the women and children suffering trauma. These services will include an equine therapeutic program, healing retreat, domestic violence awareness program, and advocacy for policy reform on women of domestic violence.