Shannon Formo, is the founder of Respond & Rebuild.
The vision was inspired from working with victims of crime for over 25+ years,
in victim services. Shannon’s years of experience and response to victims/survivors created the recognition that there was no services dedicated for victims to try rebuild & restore their lives for the future. The gap needed to be filled and it became a natural move for her to take her years of experience/education and share it with employers/individuals so they are able to heal and
feel safe & empowered.

It is normal to have the feeling of “getting stuck” or “having bad luck” as part of the cycle of trauma & victimization seeing no clear path for change. As the crime can taken over, every aspect of your life is effected, from your personal to your work.

Shannon’s story began working in Victim Services in 1998 and she has been working in the victim services sector for over two decades in police-based and community-based victim services working with primary & secondary victims & witnesses of violent and property crimes. Shannon specialized, early on, in assisting individuals who had experienced violent crimes: such as intimate partner violence; gender-based violence; sexual assaults; suicides; sudden deaths; attempted homicides and homicides. Part of Shannon’s experiences included community engagement, to the Surrey community by creating and managing several initiatives of community projects, for marginalized; racialized and vulnerable populations. In addition, Shannon was a member of community boards and working groups to assist in the change and needs of the growing diverse population.

Shannon has had the pleasure to work with the mainstream South Asian and Indigenous communities which has provided her with the best education and insights to the unspoken effects of colonization and intergenerational trauma. She humbly appreciated having had the opportunity of being in a place of trust to have open conversations without judgement.