Hi my name is Sanford I don’t remember much of my childhood before the age of 6 or 7. What I do remember is fear.

By the time I turned 8, that fear had turned into anger. My dad was gone, my mom died from lupus, my grandmother cried quietly every day, and my two sisters and I didn’t even know if we were loved.

At 12 years old, I was punching walls, starting fights, and having unprotected sex without any idea of who I was or what I was doing.

At 13, I thought about ending my life for the first time.

“Male deaths represent 79% of suicides. Around 100 men die by suicide every single day – over 35,000 a year.”

I now know what I didn’t then: boys and men are taught to silence themselves. Society only allows us to show two emotions—anger and joy. But I wasn’t just angry or happy. Most of the time, I was sad. Lonely. Grieving the loss of my mom. And I didn’t know how to speak it.

Fast forward nearly 50 years: I’ve been through divorce, lost connection with my kids, watched my business collapse, lived out of my car, and in 2015 I was standing on train tracks, ready for it all to end.

I didn’t need someone to “fix” me. I needed someone to hear me. To hug me. To remind me that my existence alone meant I mattered.

And that’s exactly what I want to give to men today.

Why This Event Matters

Right now, countless men are silently carrying unbearable weight. They are:

• Going through divorce

• Losing connection with their kids

• Watching businesses fall apart

• Struggling with money or homelessness

• Considering if life is even worth living

And society tells them: “Man up. Don’t talk about it. Don’t show weakness.”

But here’s the truth: silence is killing us.

That’s why I’m creating something different—a year-long movement starting with one powerful night for 500 men across Brisbane and surrounding areas.

What We’re Building

A Year of Writing, Hugging & Healing

Men’s circles, journaling, and safe spaces where men can drop the masks, share their stories, and support one another.

A Life-Changing Movie Experience

Together, 500 men will gather to watch “The Forge” a film about accountability, growth, and the courage to change. Afterward, we’ll have raw, honest conversations about what it means to become the men our families, communities, and world need.

A New Model of Manhood

Inspired by Jason Wilson’s The Man The Moment Requires, we’ll move from being narrowly “masculine” men to becoming comprehensive men

accountable, connected, and courageous.

Why Your Help Is Needed

This isn’t just about one event—it’s about changing the story for men and boys across our communities.

When we heal men, we heal families.

When we heal men, we heal communities.

When we heal men, we heal generations.

But I can’t do this alone.

I need your help to:

• Secure a cinema space for 500 men

• Provide resources for a year of men’s healing circles

• Raise awareness and reach the men who need this most.