Youth in Stamford learning to lead through service
IROSA Cares helps young people in Stamford, Connecticut see themselves as contributors, not just recipients. A 9/11 Day of Service that packed 10,000 meals has led to a new Impact Club for students in grades 5–8 at Stamford PAL.
10,000 meals packed at IROSA's 9/11 Day of Service
100 care packages for veterans and first responders
200+ volunteers
35+ years Catherine Stephenson spent as an educator
Founded December 2023 · Stamford, Connecticut · 200–999 volunteers · Youth service and leadership
Catherine Stephenson spent more than 35 years as an educator, long enough to see what happens when young people know someone believes in them and gives them room to grow, lead and make a difference. In December 2023 she founded IROSA Cares to take that work beyond the classroom, creating opportunities for young people, especially underserved youth, to serve others and strengthen their communities. The organization is personal. Its name honors her parents, Ira and Rose, and helping others was simply part of how she was raised. Education ran in the family too: her aunt was a school principal. The clearest picture of the work so far is IROSA's 9/11 Day of Service at Stamford PAL, where young people and volunteers packed 10,000 meals for local organizations serving families in the community and prepared 100 care packages for veterans and first responders. What came next mattered more to Stephenson than the numbers. Stamford PAL invited IROSA Cares to become an ongoing partner in its afterschool program, which led to the new IROSA Cares Impact Club for students in grades 5 through 8. The invitation meant the work was no longer about a single day. Through the club, students will identify needs in their community, take on hands-on service projects and build leadership skills throughout the year. Alongside the Impact Club, IROSA Cares holds an annual MLK Day of Service and 9/11 Day of Service. Every project so far, Stephenson says, has been built through relationships with young people, families, volunteers, donors, schools, nonprofits and community partners.
I often think about my mom, my dad, and my aunt and how proud they would be to see that the values they passed down are continuing through IROSA Cares.
Contributors, not recipients
Stephenson doesn't want young people simply attending IROSA Cares programs. She wants them:
- Making decisions
- Serving others
- Developing ideas
- Discovering what they can contribute
Youth safety as programs grow
Because IROSA Cares works with young people, it decides how much screening and supervision a volunteer needs based on the role and the type of activity. Its service events are generally structured and supervised, and when IROSA Cares works with partner organizations, it follows their safety and volunteer requirements too.
As year-round youth programming grows, IROSA Cares is strengthening and formalizing its volunteer procedures, including appropriate screening, clear expectations, supervision and safeguards for adults who will have ongoing or direct contact with youth. It's a sensible order of operations for a young organization moving from one-day events to year-round programs: the more sustained an adult's contact with young people, the more structure the process around it needs.
Episode 2 · The Sign-In Table
Catherine on The Sign-In Table
What IROSA Cares needs next
IROSA Cares is a small, relatively new nonprofit with a growing number of partnerships and programs. Its biggest need is year-round funding for the infrastructure behind them: administrative support, including its part-time administrative assistant, and everyday costs like insurance, technology, outreach and program materials. It is looking especially for long-term corporate partners who want to grow with it, not just sponsor one event. Three ways to help:
- Companies — become a year-round partner through corporate grants and sponsorships, employee giving and matching gifts, in-kind contributions, or employee volunteer opportunities.
- Individuals — donate, volunteer, or share IROSA's story.
- Connectors — make an introduction to a company, foundation or community partner that believes in the mission.
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The Sign-In Table
- Episode 1 · Coming soonbraveONEBrandi Pillow
- Episode 2 · Coming soonIROSA CaresCatherine Stephenson
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