AWARENESS WARRIORSFOUNDATIONGet Support ↗TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY
Behind every challenge, every shared mile, and every invitation to show up is a person who needs to know they matter.
Awareness Warriors Foundation is a veteran-founded movement using physical activity, community, and purpose to combat depression, prevent suicide, and remind people they never have to fight alone.
Veterans, service members, first responders, families, friends, and neighbors all belong here. When you support AWF, you stand behind a mission that turns awareness into opportunities for people to connect, ask for help, and support one another.
WHY WE PUT THE MISSION IN MOTION
“Depression hates a moving target” is our invitation to take a step—and have someone beside you when you do.
That step can look different for everyone: taking on a challenge, walking alongside a friend, volunteering, or starting a conversation you’ve been carrying alone.
We use shared effort to create opportunities to notice one another, offer encouragement, and accept support. A finish line gives us a place to gather. The connection people carry into everyday life is why we gather.
Movement, community, and purpose can stand alongside counseling, treatment, and other professional support. AWF’s role is to help open that door when someone is ready.
WHAT THE MISSION LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE
Our events give people a way to practice the support we want them to experience beyond the course.
FACE THE OBSTACLE TOGETHER
“Down and Dirty” for Health
The ups and downs of the course echo the challenges people face in life. Offering a hand, accepting help, and encouraging someone through an obstacle make support something participants can experience.
Your support stands behind opportunities for people from across our community to meet on shared ground and rise together.
Step inside Laredo Mud Fiesta ↗MAKE THE UNSEEN VISIBLE
You Are Not Alone
What began as a personal journey to recognize the sacrifices of families and friends supporting service members and veterans has grown into a community signal of hope. Names carried on a vest and the added weight of a ruck give unseen battles a visible place.
We honor those lost to suicide, recognize those still struggling, and remind the people supporting them that they deserve support, too. Showing up becomes a signal someone else can see: it is okay to ask for help.
Experience The Signal Run ↗NOTICE THE STRUGGLE. SHARE THE WEIGHT.
Remembering 17; Supporting the Many
Eleven obstacles and six team missions give teams 17 elements to face together. One 17-pound sandbag travels with each team—a reminder of veterans lost to suicide and the weight people carry silently.
The purpose is to notice when a teammate is struggling, offer relief, and learn to share the load. Community organizations also bring information about resources, connecting the experience on the trail with support beyond it.
Walk the Trail of Hope with us ↗WHAT YOUR SUPPORT STANDS BEHIND
The Warrior Training Guide and individual workout posters offer a way to keep moving between events. People can adapt their participation to their abilities and seek professional guidance for their needs.
Train With Purpose ↗Clear resource information helps people take a next step toward care for themselves or someone they love. AWF complements professional care and aims to connect people with appropriate agencies when they’re ready.
Explore support resources ↗We participate in other organizations’ events and awareness efforts because supporting our community includes showing up for the people already serving it. These relationships help carry the mission beyond AWF’s own events.
See AWF in the community ↗These are the activities and priorities you help sustain when you give, volunteer, or partner with AWF. Have a question about a particular contribution or project? Ask us directly.
WHAT ACCOUNTABILITY MEANS TO US
Explain what each activity is for and how it connects to our mission. Share the work through event stories and community participation, and welcome questions about what people are supporting.
Work to reduce barriers, including financial hardship. Make room for different abilities, different starting points, and different ways to contribute. Belonging begins with the opportunity to take part.
Community connection is part of support. AWF does not replace clinical care, provide a crisis response service, or promise a particular mental health outcome. We encourage professional help and make resource information available.
OUR NONPROFIT RECOGNITION
The IRS determination letter, dated April 30, 2026, recognizes AWF as a tax-exempt public charity.
View Our IRS Determination Letter (PDF) ↗A CONVERSATION BUILDS TRUST
You deserve to understand the work you’re helping carry forward.
Ask us about our mission, a specific activity, or how you can contribute through giving, volunteering, or partnership. We welcome the conversation.
Ask AWF a question ↗