Dear Athletes, Families, Friends, Supporters, Donors & Community,
Terminator Foundation has closed. On January 2, 2025, all Administrative Staff, Athletic Coaches, and Recovery Coaches were laid off and all operations shut down. After doing absolutely everything in my power to find funding to keep pressing on, it was painfully clear that Terminator was out of options.
I have imagined many things for Terminator, visioneering this foundation, and being witness to the hundreds of lives that this foundation has impacted with its work has been the greatest achievement of my life. I imagined passing the torch after another decade or so of building, but never did I think I would have to shut it down.
We have been slugging it out financially for years, so I was used to that, I didn’t mind that especially when I compared it to the lives being changed and transformed. To me, there was nothing to compare that to, so the fight for resources and money dulled in comparison to our beloved athletes as they exchanged their cloak of unworthiness and stepped into their rightful positions as revolutionized and dignified, proud human beings. I could fight for that all day long, day in and day out, our athletes were, and are worth every single sacrifice that Terminator (and I) made.
In order to create such an innovative and revolutionary approach to tackling mental health and addiction in Canada you need a particular and special group of people, you need an “A-TEAM”, like the Avengers, a group of people willing to go above and beyond, who will never back down. That’s exactly the kind of Team I have, and they proved themselves with hearts of gold as they continued to WORK FOR FREE after they had been laid off. When Terminator had to shut down because all funds had completely dried up - we were in the beginning stages of a cohort that had just started in early December. But my coaching team and some of my administrative staff CONTINUED TO SHOW UP. They worked for free for nearly 3 months.
On March 6th, 2025 we had 9 Athletes graduate from the 12-week ABRT Program. This remarkable group of individuals pushed through Christmas, and the Foundation shutting down - they continued to train 5 days a week, THEY STAYED SOBER through one of the hardest seasons for people in early recovery and then the uncertainty of an organization. BUT, because of the unbelievable dedication of my staff, and volunteers, our athletes prevailed- we all prevailed.
Today, I hold both sorrow, and joy, as well as immense gratitude for the work and commitment that the Terminator Foundation has had the great honour of doing in our community and across Canada. Terminator Foundation founded the ABRT Program, Activity-Based Recovery Therapy. We pioneered harnessing the power of athletics to literally transform the minds and hearts of individuals facing mental health and addiction challenges. When we started, I had to beat down doors just to get this concept heard. Today, Terminator shuts its doors with the longest unsolicited waitlist for participants that I have ever seen.
Over ten years ago, I sounded the alarm on our community to raise awareness for youth addiction, Terminator Foundation forecasted the youth addiction and homelessness epidemic. I started the Terminator Run for Youth Addiction Awareness to support our families and shine a light on how our youth are being sucked in and seduced by media, social media, and their environment, to believing that drugs and alcohol are their solution to worthiness. Terminator Foundation was the mountaintop from which we cried out to save as many as we could. Do you want to feel empowered and alive? MOVE. YOUR. BODY.
I have a decade-plus worth of people I need to thank. The people who stood with me in the very beginning, people in the middle stages, people in the final stages, and there are those few who have stood with me throughout this entire journey, beginning to end. I cannot even write this without feeling totally overcome with emotion, and I still in some ways cannot believe this has come to an end. Terminator Foundation in every capacity was started because of LOVE. I started it because I was madly in love with a girl, my daughter, who was caught in the grip of a fentanyl, meth addiction, today over 8 years sober. But the love continued, and Terminator loved your sons, your daughters, and your families.
Thank you. With my whole heart and my entire being, thank you. In whatever capacity you have given, or contributed to the Terminator Foundation, I will forever be grateful for your unwavering support, your dedication, your time, your donations, and your heart. Thank you for believing in me, and for believing in Terminator Foundation and our mission. Thank you to all the Treatment Centers and countless community agencies that partnered with Terminator over the years. Thank you to our stakeholders, businesses, the Provincial Government, and the Calgary Police for all your dedicated support over the years.
To all the many, many athletes, my heart bursts from my chest when I think about you, you warrior human beings. You are the greatest gladiators and overcomers of this century, and I will be forever grateful that you chose to put your trust in Terminator. You’ve all changed my life, and I will never be the same because of you. Do not EVER stop fighting for yourselves, you are worthy, and worth it, always.
Somewhere in my heart I want to believe that Terminator will rise again, so I don’t want to say this is goodbye forever, but rather,
I’ll be back.
Forever a servant for our most vulnerable,
Warmly & with Love
Vanisha Breault
Founder & CEO
Genesis of Terminator
The Terminator Foundation was born from one mother’s fight for her daughter’s life—and a mission to break the silence around youth addiction and mental health. In 2015, Vanisha Breault shared her family’s struggle with her daughter’s fentanyl, meth, and heroin addiction. This raw and honest sharing highlighted the shame, stigma, and isolation that often accompany addiction, not only for those suffering but also for their families.
Determined to break this silence and create meaningful change, Vanisha launched the Terminator Run for Youth Addiction Awareness in the same year. The run was intended to shine a light on the escalating crisis of youth addiction, inspire community conversations, and foster hope among individuals and families navigating similar challenges
Despite the run’s success, Vanisha’s personal journey remained fraught. Two years later, Eden was still in the grip of addiction, and Vanisha found herself in a place of despair, preparing for the unthinkable. Vanisha made a bold decision: with no swimming skills, no bike, only her running shoes, she trained for a 70.3 Ironman. Crossing that finish line became a turning point—not just for her, but for others who needed hope.
By 2017, the Terminator Foundation was born—inviting those battling addiction to discover strength, resilience, and recovery through movement. Among the first to say yes was her daughter, Eden, who trained, completed her first triathlon, and has been sober ever since.
What started as one family’s fight has become a life-changing recovery program. Terminator has helped countless individuals prove to themselves that healing is possible, offering them not just recovery, but a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.
Partner In Impact
The impact of the Terminator Foundation goes beyond recovery — it’s about transforming lives and entire communities. If you believe in bold solutions, long-term change, and helping youth and families reclaim their futures, we invite you to connect with us.
Let’s talk about how your investment can help continue our mission and change lives for generations to come.