Celebrating Statewide Trailblazer of the Year Winner Stephania Vasconez

January 25 was a busy day at our Center for Philanthropy with back-to-back events celebrating innovation and pioneering know-how in the nonprofit sector.

Our Community Foundation and the Mesa County Hunger Alliance hosted a Celebration Luncheon in honor of Stephania Vasconez, founding director and inspiration behind Mutual Aid Partners. Stephania took a short break from busy days she is spending right now to open the new Unhoused Resource Center to attend the luncheon with her family and colleagues. Stephania was awarded the Community Trailblazer of the Year Award by the Denver-based Community Resource Center (CRC).

As Tedi Gillespie noted in her remarks to guests, it is quite the occasion to celebrate when a statewide organization recognizes the leadership accomplishments of a local leader, and something we all should acknowledge and celebrate – the cutting edge work and problem-solving ingenuity that Stephania has demonstrated. Our Community Foundation has supported Mutual Aid Partners over the years, including providing its first grant funding in (2020) when the organization was just getting off the ground during the COVID pandemic. In addition to her tireless work with Mutual Aid Partners, Stephania is an active leader in our Mesa County Hunger Alliance. WCCF President Anne Wenzel who helped form the Hunger Alliance eight years ago and drafted our local Blueprint to End Hunger, would note that many leaders in the Hunger Alliance and, indeed, the Alliance as its own coalition, are also trailblazers. Mesa County is recognized across Colorado for its comprehensive and coordinated efforts to address food insecurity, having received multiple large grants from the Colorado Health Foundation for its work.

After the luncheon, guests headed downstairs to attend a community Watch Party zoomed in from CRC in Denver. Stephania was formally recognized as Trailblazer of the Year at the beginning of their two-hour virtual program, 2024 State of the Sector.

To read the Sentinel coverage, click HERE.