Stephanie Collier is director of program implementation at AYA Youth Collective. She gives monthly to WMCAT as an Opportunity Curator.
Stephanie Collier has a vision for her community: “My dream is for all of us to be at the same table, on the same page, and truly making change . . . a full circle of support.”
This hope stems from her 20-year career in West Michigan nonprofits, first as an AmeriCorps member, then as a community health worker supporting pregnant and parenting mothers. She now leads program implementation at AYA Youth Collective — an organization serving youth experiencing housing instability. “It’s my life,” Stephanie says. “I feel like it was just what I was born to do.”
Her commitment to community goes beyond her day job, informing how she raises her kids, interacts with her neighbors, and spends her dollars. It’s what inspired her to become a monthly donor to WMCAT at this year’s iBall gala, where she was struck by “You Got This!” stories of encouragement and student thriving shared from the stage.
“Hearing that resonated with me — people are truly trying to figure things out and they’re struggling . . . Even me at 41, I want to hear ‘you got this!’ because some days I don’t know if I have this in me. People need to know that others have their back and WMCAT does that.”
Stephanie sees WMCAT providing the tuition-free opportunities that she knows firsthand are needed. “Being able to provide education and skill building without having youth and young adults be bogged down by loans . . . It’s amazing that something like this exists.”
WMCAT is one of several youth-serving organizations that Stephanie gives to monthly as part of her dream for community, but she knows she can’t do it alone.
“Without all of us being on the same page and admitting that we have to be a part of this change, it won’t change,” Stephanie says. “Monthly donors truly, truly help. Every single dollar means something.”
Join Stephanie in creating a “full circle of support.”
Become a part of WMCAT’s passionate community of monthly donors as an Opportunity Curator.
Your monthly gift helps provide year-round access to opportunity and builds a long-lasting impact at WMCAT.
