Jason Williams and Brian Semsem of Fresno co-founded a nonprofit at the start of 2020. What looked to be poor timing turned out to be a great opportunity because of the organization’s mission.

Now the pair is looking to raise money through GoFundMe for a wellness center. The fundraising goal is $300,000.

Brain Wise Solutions was started to help people learn about the brain and how past trauma shapes the brain, body and relationships. 

Things seemed daunting once the pandemic hit, but Williams says there is also a growing demand for helping people deal with trauma after two years of global pandemic. 

“If we can help everyone basically learn about these things then we can help people be more successful,” he said. 

Williams has worked as a social worker for most of his career. Semsem has been active as a foster and adoptive parent. Williams said he saw failures in the foster system — systemic problems he wanted to change. 

The solution to decrease crime is not found in more police officers, Williams says, but more help before children enter the foster care system.

“It’s too late when kids are entering the foster care system,” Williams said. “A lot of times the damage is done.”

During his time working with Child Protective Services in Fresno County, he saw billions of dollars invested into public safety, poverty and social services. But if we did a better job at reaching out to families to get a better hold on life, we could nearly eliminate the need for the foster care system, he said. 

Less than 3% of foster kids graduate from college compared to the rest of the population, which has a 60% college graduation rate. Many of those incarcerated have also spent time in the foster care system.

They’re repeating that cycle if the system doesn’t get fixed, he said. 

He is passionate about rallying government agencies to shift the focus to preventative care. To do this, he’s raising $300,000 for a wellness center. The money would guarantee the lease for a 5,000-square-foot facility for three years.

“This is an opportunity that we haven’t gotten yet,” he said. 

He currently operates out of a small office and his home. His vision for the wellness center is to make a place where people can meet, socialize and talk about their experiences and past hurts. Ultimately, it will help people heal with the potential to transform families for the better. He dreams of having a space where children can play, take piano lessons and benefit from tutoring, yoga and meditation. 

As his vision for the wellness center started developing, he realized he would need more than just an office space or a small training room. 

Brain Wise Solutions has developed a curriculum with the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health called Handle With Care. In his own experience, it has helped him be a better dad, he said. 

Handle with Care partners with other entities, including the Fresno Unified School District and the Fresno Police Department Chaplaincy, and provides an immediate response when a child experiences trauma of any kind. These children have extra support at school, and the program also invites parents in to discover ways that they can help their children.  

This “Parent Café” program will ask adults thought-provoking questions as to how they have dealt with stress in their own lives, and how it has impacted the way they parent.

Brain Wise Solutions trains foster care and social workers because they work with the most traumatized children. The organization has also started training educators, who often have a front row seat to a child’s behavioral and emotional needs.

The nonprofit has also collaborated with ACEs Aware, a California initiative that screens for trauma-induced stress, specifically for Adverse Childhood Experiences — its acronym. 

But it will take a lot more momentum behind the operation than the nonprofit alone. 

“It’s a real grassroots effort, and that’s great, but it’s gotta come from more than just the grassroots,” Williams said. 

Williams said that training like this gets at the root of the problem and solves crime before it happens.

“Relationships are the key to all of this,” he said.