Meet Our Founder
My name is Ashley Guillermo, and I founded Project Ring Inc. when I was just 16 years old.
Growing up, I often felt alone in my struggles with mental health. It wasn't until I entered a therapeutic program during high school that I realized how many people around me were quietly fighting similar battles. The problem wasn't that we were alone—it was that no one was talking about it. There wasn't enough education, understanding, or support, and the stigma surrounding mental health caused many of us to suffer in silence.
At the time, I wish someone had told me what I know now: I wasn't broken, I wasn't weak, and I definitely wasn't alone. I was bigger than my anxiety, my fear, and the challenges I faced.
Like many teenagers, I didn't always cope in healthy ways. But on my 16th birthday, I made a promise to myself that my story wasn't over. I got my first tattoo—a semicolon connected to a heartbeat that flows into a butterfly. Inspired by the Semicolon Project, it became a symbol of survival, hope, and new beginnings. The heartbeat reminded me that I was still here. The butterfly came from a therapy exercise where we drew butterflies on our skin instead of harming ourselves, giving them names and purpose to protect them—and, in turn, protect ourselves.
That same year, I created Project Ring.
What started as a simple act of giving back has grown into Project Ring Inc., a registered nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the gap between crisis and long-term support. Our mission is rooted in mental health advocacy, community outreach, and providing practical resources to individuals experiencing homelessness, hardship, and life challenges.
Over the years, Project Ring has raised thousands of dollars through handmade bracelets, donations, community partnerships, and fundraising efforts. Those funds have helped provide housing assistance, clothing, food, hygiene supplies, resource navigation, and access to mental health support. More importantly, we show up—in shelters, on the streets, and at community events—meeting people where they are with dignity, compassion, and hope.
Today, I serve as a paramedic in Jersey City, and every shift reinforces why this work matters. I see firsthand how mental health struggles, homelessness, poverty, and lack of access to resources often overlap. I meet people in crisis every day—individuals who need support long after the emergency ends.
Project Ring exists to help fill that gap.
We believe that everyone deserves access to resources, support, and someone who believes in them. Whether through outreach programs, resource cards, community partnerships, education, or simply offering a listening ear, our goal is to remind people that they are worthy of hope and capable of rebuilding their lives.
Sharing my story is deeply personal, but I do it because if even one person reads this and feels less alone, it is worth it.
Your struggles do not define you. Your circumstances do not determine your future. Healing is possible. Growth is possible. Life can get better.
I know because I've lived it.
And now, through Project Ring, I have the privilege of helping others believe it too.
“Your struggles do not define you. Your circumstances do not determine your future. Everyone deserves hope, support, and the chance to begin again." — Ashley Guillermo, Founder & Executive Director
