Built by Someone Who Lived It
Rory was my best friend from the time we were seven years old. She was one of the most genuinely kind people I have ever known — the kind of person who went out of her way to tell the people in her life exactly how much she cared about them. She had a laugh that lit up every room she walked into.
In 2021, at 24 years old, she died. A death of despair — the kind that happens when someone needed real support for a long time, and the system never provided it.
California Can't Wait exists because of Rory. Because she deserved better. Because the school system she sat in every day could have offered her something — a licensed provider, a trained professional, someone whose job it was to notice — and it didn't. This campaign is about making sure that changes for every kid who comes after her.
I started California Can't Wait because I lost my best friend — and because I know the system that failed her still exists, unchanged, in every public school in this state.
I'm also the founder of WeBelong Institute, a Carlsbad-based 501(c)3 working on mental health belonging and access. This campaign is independent of WeBelong — because what we're demanding is a policy change, and that requires its own voice.
I'm not asking California to do something impossible. I'm asking it to do what it already knows is right.
Every School.
At Least One Provider.
No Exceptions.
California has 10,000+ public schools. Most have no licensed mental health provider on staff. That's not a resource problem — it's a policy failure. We're fixing it.
The System Was Never Built to Help Kids
California has 6.1 million public school students. The recommended ratio is 1 licensed mental health provider per 250 students. The actual ratio? 1:500 statewide — and in many schools, there's no licensed mental health provider at all.
This isn't a funding mystery. It's a policy gap. No California law requires a licensed mental health provider in every school. We're demanding that change.
Three Things. Right Now.
This campaign wins when enough Californians make enough noise. Here's how to be part of it.
The Window Is Open
Sacramento is making mental health funding decisions right now. The conversation is happening with or without us.
Kids don't schedule mental health crises for after school hours. If we're going to mandate their presence in these buildings, we owe them safety inside them.
Join the Campaign
Get updates on petition milestones, press coverage, and legislative moments when your voice matters most. No spam. Just the moments that count.
Already signed? Share this page. Every share is worth 10 signatures.
Built by Someone Who Lived It
I didn't come to this work from the outside. I struggled with my mental health in high school — enough that I couldn't survive the traditional classroom. I finished high school through independent study at Carlsbad Seaside Academy. I got through. A lot of kids don't.
I'm the founder of WeBelong Institute, a Carlsbad-based 501(c)3 focused on mental health belonging and access. California Can't Wait is a separate advocacy campaign — because the problem is a policy failure, and policy failures require political pressure to fix.
This campaign is personal. It is also structural. Both things are true at the same time.
Rory was my best friend from the time we were seven years old. She was one of the most genuinely kind people I have ever known — the kind of person who went out of her way to tell the people in her life exactly how much she cared about them. She had a laugh that lit up every room she walked into.
In 2021, at 24 years old, she died. A death of despair — the kind that happens when someone needed real support for a long time, and the system never provided it.
California Can't Wait exists because of Rory. Because she deserved better. Because the school system she sat in every day could have offered her something — a licensed provider, a trained professional, someone whose job it was to notice — and it didn't. This campaign is about making sure that changes for every kid who comes after her.
"She made it through. She was helping others get through. She deserved so much more time."
This campaign is dedicated to Rory — 1996–2021