Finding help can be difficult even when resources technically exist. Chelsea Larsen learned that lesson after her younger sister, Kymberlee, died from domestic violence in 2018. As her family worked through grief while managing the practical realities that followed, Larsen saw how difficult it could be to determine which services were available, which ones were appropriate, and where someone should begin. The experience ultimately inspired her to think differently about how communities connect people with support.
That vision first took shape through KYMfest, the “KindYourMind” Festival created by Larsen and her family to celebrate Kymberlee’s life. Over time, the annual event became more than a memorial. Nonprofit organizations, community service providers, vendors, and families could gather in one welcoming environment, creating opportunities for attendees to learn about resources while participating in a celebration.
For Larsen, that setting matters. People who might hesitate to walk into an organization specifically associated with domestic violence, mental health, or crisis support may feel more comfortable discovering information within a broader community event.
The same philosophy helped lead to the creation of For You Network, Inc., the nonprofit organization responsible for KYMfest as well as trauma support groups and community outreach programmes. Larsen describes its role as helping people make sense of the support landscape around them.
“When someone is already healing physically or emotionally, grieving a loss or caring for a family, figuring out where to begin can become another burden,” she says.
Larsen remembers how difficult that process could be. A family might reach out to an organization, discover that the service is not the right fit, and then be directed somewhere else. Each new contact can require another explanation of deeply personal circumstances. At the same time, the person seeking assistance must determine whether safety, housing, food, emotional wellbeing, medical care, or another concern should take priority.
A community navigator, Larsen believes, could simplify that journey by helping people identify their immediate needs and connecting them with the appropriate organizations.
The issue extends well beyond her family’s experience. A 2026 research report found that more than 1 in 3 women and more than 1 in 6 men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetimes. Leaving an abusive relationship can also introduce additional danger. Research published in the American Journal of Public Health has found that women face a substantially elevated risk of being killed by an abusive partner around the period of separation.
For survivors, therefore, finding assistance is not simply an administrative challenge. The ability to quickly identify safe and appropriate resources can become an important part of the recovery process.
Financial circumstances can make the situation even more complicated. The National Network to End Domestic Violence reports that financial abuse occurs in 99% of domestic violence cases. Restricting access to money, employment, transportation, or basic necessities can make it considerably harder for someone to leave an abusive situation or rebuild afterward.
Larsen believes communities can respond by creating resource pathways that are easier to access and less intimidating. One concept she is developing is a Thrift Hub & Resource Center that would combine affordable repurposed goods with community resource navigation.
The proposed center would generate revenue through thrift operations while creating space for support groups, outreach, and information about vetted services. Larsen hopes the model could help fund youth programs and other community initiatives while providing an everyday environment where people can discover assistance without having to identify themselves as someone in crisis.
The project is still being developed, but Larsen sees earned income as one potential funding source alongside grants, donations, and sponsorships.
“We want this full circle where we have elements of prevention, elements of community resilience, and then the management of the aftermath,” Larsen explains.
That full circle is central to her philosophy. Rather than waiting until someone reaches a crisis point, she believes communities can provide education, resources, and human connection at multiple stages of a person’s experience.
She describes the underlying principle simply: “nobody thrives in isolation.”
A resource center could help turn that idea into something tangible. Someone could visit for clothing, furniture, or household necessities and encounter information about local support at the same time. The setting would make access to resources part of everyday community life rather than limiting it to specialized crisis environments.
Larsen also hopes that, if the concept proves successful, elements of the model could eventually be adapted by other communities looking for sustainable approaches to local support.
Prevention remains equally important. Through its school programs, For You Network works with young people on subjects that are appropriate to their age and development. Topics can include kindness, social and emotional learning, conflict resolution, violence prevention, and healthy relationships.
“Young people can begin by understanding their own needs, learning how their actions affect others and recognizing healthier ways to communicate,” Larsen says.
For younger children, this may mean conversations about fairness, kindness, empathy, and how their behavior affects others. Older students can begin exploring more complex issues such as coercion, intimidation, emotional abuse, psychological harm, and warning signs in dating relationships.
Larsen believes these conversations give young people vocabulary that can help them recognize experiences that may otherwise remain difficult to describe.
The organization’s “KindYourMind” motto, derived from Kymberlee’s name, reflects that broader mission. It encourages people to pay attention to their emotional wellbeing, practice compassion toward themselves and others, and view seeking assistance as a strength rather than a failure.
Ultimately, Larsen is working toward a model where prevention, practical assistance, and trauma recovery are connected rather than separated into different systems.
“People may know that support exists and still feel unsure how to access the appropriate resources,” she says. “Sometimes the most useful starting point is having someone help make that path clearer.”
