The Vision, Mission & Promise

of the Will To Live Foundation

The Will To Live Foundation – A Story of Hope
In every great story, there’s a turning point—a moment when ordinary people rise to meet extraordinary challenges. For us, that moment came in the wake of heartbreak - and from grief, a mission and a foundation was born.
At the Will To Live Foundation, we believe in the power of connection. We are committed to raising awareness of teen suicide and mental illness by creating a culture of Life Teammates®—where young people recognize the strength they have to lift each other up, simply by being there.
Through education, motivation, fellowship, and above all, love, we help teens understand that they are not alone. That their friendships are more than just fun—they are lifelines. It's in these Life Teammates relationships where hope lives.
The Will To Live Foundation is a story about courage. About community. About choosing to speak up, to reach out, to listen, and to remind each other that it’s always “Okay to not be Okay.”

Our Vision

To be a positive and motivational resource for teens, young adults, and their families in the global fight against teen suicide, depression and the stigma surrounding mental illness in our communities.

Our Promise

To continually encourage our communities to strive to create a culture where Delivering Hope to each other becomes a way of life!

Our Mission

We’re commited to raising the awareness of teen suicide and mental illness by building a culture of Life Teammates®—where teens recognize the power they have to deliver hope, love, and understanding to each other.
Together, we are not just raising awareness, we are rewriting the narrative to make it ‘More than Okay to not be Okay’ – helping our kids talk about it, support each other, and improve their Will To Live - it’s powerful!
We achieve our mission by creating and supporting initiatives that are:
- Raising Awareness
-of teen suicide in our communities
- Increasing Education
-of mental illness like depression & it's stigma
- Delivering Hope
-to teens everywhere through Life Teammates

A Family’s Original Vision of Hope

WTL Fun Facts

15 YEARS OF DELIVERING HOPE THROUGH LIFE TEAMMATES®

Fifteen years ago, our world changed forever. On October 15, 2010, we lost our son Will Trautwein to suicide. He was strong, successful, and deeply loved—but silently battling a treatable illness: depression. Like many, we didn’t recognize the signs. We didn’t understand that mental illness is a physical condition, not a weakness or choice. We also were unaware of the fact that 1 in 5 of us suffer from it or some other diagnosable mental illness - all of which are "treatable and beatable."

In the wake of unimaginable grief, our family—my wife Susie along with Will’s siblings, Tommy, Michael and Holyn, and his close friends—made a promise: to honor Will by helping others talk about mental health. We founded a non-profit built on the best parts of Will’s life—his love for his friends, his teammates, and his ability to lift others up. He truly rejoiced in the success of his friends.

We believe in the power of Life Teammates®—the friends we meet in our youth who become so much more than just high school or college friends, they become our lifelong support system. We have found that it is in these relationships where hope lives. Through our programs, we help teens recognize that they’re not alone, that it’s okay to not be okay, and that they have the power to deliver hope to each other - and in doing so, increase their own Will To Live!

Since 2010, our message has:

Funded the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program in over 3,000 schools nationwide.
Awarded more than 300 scholarships, chosen by students themselves.
Have supported mental illness organizations and events from funding liscenced therapists on-site in schools, to supporting 5K' and "Suicide Prevention Walks" aroudn the country
Reached thousands through over 500 presentations to schools, teams, corporations, churches, and communities.

We’ve raised over $3 million to support mental health awareness and suicide prevention. But more importantly, we’ve built a culture of compassion, understanding, and connection - please help us continue our message by supporting Will To Live.

Please help us continue this mission. Ask yourself: Who are your Life Teammates? Do they know? If not, today is a great day to tell them - it's what Life Teammates do!

As we teach the kids to say:

Love Ya Man!

Donate Today

“The Will To Live Foundation—that’s what Life Teammates are all about, giving people hope for life.”

– Joe Girardi, Professional Baseball Manager
“I have had the pleasure of seeing John speak on three occasions. WOW what a message! As a coach and financial services professional for over 30 years, I’ve seen hundreds of prominent speakers. John is hands down one of my top three. His thoughtful and moving presentation is incredible and he hits all the positive notes you want to aspire to as a coach and mentor of young people.”

Lou Corsetti – Coaching Coordinator, Atlanta Youth Lacrosse
“Talking to the players and coaches truly brought awareness to the concept of Life Teammates. With John and his family sharing their story, the players walked away with a better understanding of how important it is to be there for each other.”

Mike Cuzzone – USSSA Baseball
“John Trautwein and his family have taken the most difficult tragedy a family can know, and turned it into a message to help us all. Our kids are at risk and we need to make sure they always have a will to live.”

– Dan Shaughnessy, The Boston Globe
“Out of an unspeakable tragedy has come an important message of friendship, love and hope. John has an innate ability to relate to people, including teenagers, and his message is so vital in today’s world.”

– Bill Behrns, Notre Dame College Prep
“John’s compelling message to young people comes from his heart. He has always had a passion for youth and now he combines that passion with a life experience to reach out through the Will To Live Foundation. His message about loving one another motivates audiences to build caring relationships with their peers.”

Ron Wellman – Director of Athletics, Wake Forest University
“Every child in America should get to learn about the concept of Life Teammates. John Trautwein is a man of remarkable passion and purpose, and his messages are capable of changing children, changing families, even changing whole communities—and all for the better.”

Jeffrey Marx – Pulitzer Prize–Winning Author
Bob Wiedemann – Director of Community Sports Ministry, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)

“Through his Life Teammates message, John communicates very well that the true wins in life are found in relationships—deeply rooted relationships formed early on as teammates. His message is one of encouragement that needs to be heard by coaches at every level and by every parent who has a child in sports.”