Why We Exist
Our Mission
"Hope, health, and opportunity for real people in real communities."
We exist to make it easier for people to stay alive, stay connected, and stay hopeful — especially when life feels heavy, unfair, or impossible to explain.
Mental Health & Resilience
Tools, education, and support for emotional regulation and stability.
Chronic Illness & CADASIL Support
Clarity, community, and guidance for families navigating complex conditions.
Community Spaces & Connection
Creating places where people actually feel understood, not judged.
"I lost my dad when I was six. For a long time, I had no idea what I was even living for — I just knew I was supposed to be tough, keep pushing, and not let anyone see me break. The Goodyear Foundation is my way of saying: you don't have to do that part alone."
— Dalton Goodyear, Founder
Why We Exist
The Goodyear Foundation was born out of a simple but uncomfortable reality: too many people are struggling in silence.
In our community, we've seen:
- Youth trying to carry anxiety, depression, and pressure with nowhere safe to set it down.
- Elders quietly fading into isolation.
- Families blindsided by chronic illness — drowning in medical language and fear.
- People who want to feel better but don't know where to begin.
We didn't want to look away.
Instead, we built a foundation that bridges the gap between:
stress → regulationfear → clarityisolation → connectionillness → understanding
This work is done one conversation, one family, one moment of hope at a time.
Why Wyoming
Wyoming is where this work is rooted — a small community with a big heart.
Small towns often get overlooked by big solutions, but healing almost always begins locally.
Our belief:
Start in Wyoming.
Prove what's possible in a real community.
Share what works with anyone who needs it.
My Dad's Story
A small-town dad, a big shadow, and a ripple that never really stopped.
My dad was a taxidermist from a small town in Kansas. In my family's eyes, he was basically Patrick Swayze in Road House — a little larger than life, a little rough around the edges, and someone people gravitated toward.
I lost him to suicide when I was six. I don't know every detail of what he was carrying. I do know that his death left a ripple that moved through our whole family and quietly shaped the way I saw myself, what it meant to "be a man," and whether my feelings were even allowed to exist.
For years I tried to live up to this idea of unrealistic toughness: boys don't cry, real men don't ask for help, and if you're struggling you just push harder. It took a lot of breakdowns, hard conversations, and spiritual work to realize that my life didn't have to end where his did.
The Goodyear Foundation is one way I keep saying goodbye to him, over and over — while honoring the parts of him that were brave and kind. It's my way of showing up for my people, my partner, my family, and my community so fewer kids have to grow up wondering why the adults they love disappeared.
"This foundation exists because we've seen what happens when people feel like giving up — and we're not okay with that being the end of their story."
The CADASIL Connection
Part of this story is deeply personal.
Our founder's family is directly impacted by CADASIL — a rare genetic brain condition few people understand until it's in their world.
Living with CADASIL means confronting:
- scary language
- uncertain futures
- feeling alone in rooms meant to help
We learned something vital:
Information alone isn't enough.
People need clarity, community, and someone who says, "You're not crazy for feeling this way."
CADASIL guides a core part of our mission, but our support extends to anyone facing chronic illness.
Learn About Our CADASIL SupportA Collaborative Backbone, Not a Competitor
We don't compete with nonprofits — we elevate them.
We partner with:
- local organizations
- schools
- clinics
- businesses
- national research institutions (Mayo, Yale, etc.)
We're a backbone, not a spotlight.
Strong communities require many hands — we're proud to be one set of them.
Board & Governance
The Goodyear Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) built on transparency and integrity.
Our board is intentionally formed around:
- lived experience
- community leadership
- stewardship and ethics
- financial and legal oversight
Full board details will be published as our team formalizes.
Founder's Letter
I didn't start the Goodyear Foundation because life was easy and I wanted a hobby.
I started it because, for a long time, life didn't make sense.
My dad died by suicide when I was six. Later, my family was hit with CADASIL – a rare brain condition most people have never heard of. I watched people I love navigate fear, confusion, and medical language that felt like a foreign country.
At the same time, I was building businesses. On paper, things looked "successful." Inside, a lot of it felt heavy, frantic, and lonely.
I learned something the hard way: you can be doing "well" and still be unwell. You can have a diagnosis and still have no idea how to live with it. You can be surrounded by people and still feel completely on your own.
The Goodyear Foundation is my answer to that. It's a promise that we won't ignore the hard things, we won't hide behind jargon, and we won't choose optics over honesty.
We focus on mental health, chronic illness awareness, CADASIL, youth and elder wellbeing, and community wellness because those are the fault lines where lives quietly crack.
We build programs, spaces, and tools that help people regulate their nervous systems, understand what's happening to them or someone they love, and feel less alone in the middle of it.
I don't see this as charity. I see it as infrastructure for being human.
If you're reading this as someone who might support the work, your money doesn't disappear into a vague idea. It translates into a teen who finally feels safe enough to talk, an elder who has somewhere to be that isn't just a waiting room, a family who understands a diagnosis well enough to breathe again, and a community that knows how to respond when someone is struggling.
This foundation carries my last name, but it's not about me. It's about what we build with the time and energy we have left.
— Dalton Goodyear
Founder, Goodyear Foundation
For Donors & Partners
If you're reading this as someone who gives — time, money, or attention — here's what you should know.
How we operate
Every dollar is tied to real programs, tools, and experiences that support mental health, chronic illness literacy, and community wellness.
What your support makes possible
Your support helps us create clear resources, youth and elder circles, nervous system tools, and collaborations with schools, nonprofits, and clinics.
How we think about trust
We earn trust through transparent reporting, honest storytelling, and long-term partnership — not pressure or hype.
Join Us
You belong here if you're:
- a parent supporting a child
- an elder who wants connection
- someone navigating a diagnosis
- a business or nonprofit wanting to collaborate
- or someone who simply cares about community wellness
Ways to get involved:
- Explore volunteer or partnership opportunities
- Reach out directly
- Join the newsletter for updates, tools, and behind-the-scenes progress
We don't have all the answers — but we're committed to building this honestly, slowly, and together.
Built in memory of one good man from small-town Kansas who didn't get to see this part.