Special Dedication

It’s with Honor and a privilege that we the family of Brandon DeAundrea Britton dedicate and operate this veteran and family founded Foundation. It is in his precious memory that we execute every act of selflessness and dedication toward providing assistance and care to as many individuals in need as we are capable of……

A little about Brandon

Brandon DeAundrea Britton was born on August 4, 1995 on Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He resided in Severn, Maryland where he attended Anne Arundel County public schools. Brandon accepted Christ around the age of eight and was baptized in Jesus’ name at Free gospel Deliverance Temple in Coral Hills, Maryland. He later joined Reid Temple AME in Glenn Dale, Maryland where he remained active and served as a member of the Audio-Visual Ministry. He also enjoyed attending Reid Temple’s New Life Laurel Outreach Ministries in Laurel, Maryland.

Brandon had a heart of gold and enjoyed people. His smile, kind heart and gentle spirit were his signature. Brandon was a Cub scout who enjoyed sports. He played basketball and was a sensation on several football teams. He led the Silver Spring Saints to a major championship game. It was my honor as his father to witness his very first touchdown. That was a sight to be seen, I can remember every instant of that moment and when I tossed the first down marker in which I was holding down range, the crowd could tell exactly how excited I was. I recall screaming…, “that’s my boy”!!!. Brandon also played for the Severn Seminoles, where he again led them to a Championship game. While in high school, Brandon played football, lacrosse, and ran cross country and outdoor track and field. Brandon received varsity letters in both track & field and lacrosse. He enjoyed playing video games and competing with others online. Brandon possessed an extraordinarily high degree of technical skills and was great at repairing and assembling computers. He also enjoyed Comic-Con and collected classic memorabilia. Brandon was an inspiring professional who though only there for a short period of time had an astonishing impact on the both the leadership and work-force at Kelly Administrative Services in Sparks Maryland.

A poem dedicated to our Fallen Prince

Touched by an Angel:

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

– by Maya Angelou

Note from the Founder

As this 2020 Holiday Season rings with bells of holiday cheer; we are forced to acknowledge the pains and scars of a 10-month Pandemic as it continues to lurk in our shadows. Families across this great nation along with our global community are forced to make holiday plans via conference calls and Zoom voice and video technologies. As our nation navigates through the turbulence of our present-day times; Pandemic, gun violence, social disorder, equality, mental health challenges, Income gaps, racial injustices, Healthcare, hunger/food insecurity and climate change (injustice), just to name a few present-day challenges. We pause in preparation for this holiday season to acknowledge those who are feeling isolated, alone, depressed withdrawn and abandoned. We pause to acknowledge their needs. We take a moment to provide a listening ear, a compassionate heart and a shoulder to lean on. We pause to circle the wagons and promote awareness and prevention against a deadly and silent killer lurking in the shadows. We pause to promote awareness and prevention against any form of suicide before, during and after this Holiday Season.

Let us start by remembering those main stream media names who have fallen victim to this extreme mental disorder such as actor Robin Williams, actor Marylin Monroe, writer Ernest Hemingway and politician R. Bud Dwyer, but may we also remember the fact that a total of 321 active-duty members took their lives outside of combat in 2018, "Suicide has been deadlier than combat for the military"; as we remember our military may we also remember names such as Motivational Speaker Karyn Washington, Up and coming actor Lee Thompson Young, creator and host of the hit series “Soul Train” Don Cornelius, Seattle Rapper Freddie E (Fredrick Eugene Buhl), Def JAM Records Executive, Shakir Stewart, Kansas City Linebacker Jovan Belcher and the estimated 132 suicide victims from September 11, 2019 alone.

It is estimated that suicide has become a leading cause of death in the U.S. particularly in our adolescent to young adult community. This extreme mental disorder has been determined to be the second leading cause of death for those adolescents, young adults and veterans struggling with mental health challenges. We offer to you that our Ministers, Counselors, Psychologists (mental health professionals), Teachers and Parents must be able to both talk about it and understand the risks for these susceptible adolescents, young adults and veterans of any race. Especially in our African American Community, who are often quoted as saying, “We are too strong for such things, that’s a rich people disease, that’s a caucasian problem”.

May we Never Forget the memories of our Beloved Prince Brandon D. Britton who fell victim to this social disease on February 15, 2020. As we Cherish our memories with Brandon; we the members of Brandon's Family have given birth to this Veteran and Family founded foundation based on bridging the gaps for ministers, counselors, psychologists (mental health professionals), teachers, parents and those adolescents, teens, young adults and veterans going through depression, high levels of anxiety, loneliness and isolation. The principles of our foundation drive our efforts to build Hope and Encouragement (HAE); enabling a launch pad into a new beginning, while empowering and enabling skills for a more fruitful and productive life. The name of our Foundation is, The HAE Foundation Inc. Our primary focus is Suicide Awareness and Prevention; however, our Bylaws state our drumbeat marches to the tunes of those who need help and we support and assist in Championing many other causes. We are a new organization and have been in existence since August 4, 2020. The HAE Foundation Inc. has been recently been recognized by the United States of America’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as being a true and legitimate 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization entitled to all privileges and benefits this status affords under current laws and regulations. We have put relentless work in our preparedness and stand read to unite against these social disorders. Our Battle lines have been drawn; will you Join us? Will you support our unified efforts? Please say yes by making a simple donation. We kindly accept all donations; no donation is too small.

Thank you in advance and may you and your family have a safe and enjoyable Holiday Season. 2021 is on the Way and The HAE Foundation Inc is here for those who have lost their way. With Love and Integrity, we look forward to bringing light to this much needed dark and troublesome epidemic that has for too long afflicted so many of our communities across this Great Nation.

Thank You for your interest in getting involved with the issues we care about. If your company or organization is interested in sponsoring The Hope and Encouragement Foundation Inc. (HAE) with a monetary sponsorship, or becoming an in-kind partner, please provide your information in the form below.