Rooted in Community, Rising Toward Possibility

By Colisha Stanford, CEO of StepUp Ministry

At StepUp Ministry, we are guided by the voices of the people we serve.

Those voices have called us to build something more than a new facility. They have called us to create a community center for change, a place where individuals and families across Wake County can find support, opportunity, and a path forward.

Rooted & Rising is about what happens inside these new walls. It is about moving people from instability to opportunity.

It is about the father searching for stable employment after incarceration, the mother rebuilding confidence after years of hardship, the children watching their parents persevere, and the families trying to believe that a different future is still possible.

For nearly four decades, StepUp Ministry has catalyzed transformation in our community. What began in a church basement in 1988 has grown into a proven, whole-family model that has walked alongside more than 10,000 individuals on their path toward stability and opportunity.

As our programs have grown, so has the need. Every week, we see more people searching for support, connection, and opportunity. They are not looking for handouts. They are looking for pathways, practical tools, trusted relationships, encouragement, and a community willing to walk with them as they move forward.

That is why Rooted & Rising matters so deeply. This new 9,500-square-foot facility will allow us to expand our impact while staying grounded in the relational, community-centered approach that has always defined StepUp. The building has been intentionally designed to mirror the journey our participants experience, from the moment they walk through the door to the moment they begin building long-term stability. 

Spaces like the Skills Laboratory and Future Steps digital literacy center will help participants strengthen career readiness, financial literacy, entrepreneurship skills, and technology access. Curiosity Cove will provide a sensory-sensitive space for children while parents engage in case management and support services. The Collaboratory will create room for volunteers, partnerships, workshops, and community-building activities. Every part of this vision was designed with dignity in mind, because transformation happens when people feel seen, supported, and equipped. 

Stories like James Ivy Jr.’s remind us why this work matters. After facing incarceration, James found support, structure, and encouragement through StepUp as he rebuilt his life. Today, he is an entrepreneur, author, and advocate who uses his story to encourage others searching for a second chance. His journey reflects exactly what Rooted & Rising is about: creating pathways where people can move beyond survival and begin building lasting stability and purpose.

One of the most powerful parts of StepUp’s story has always been the people who return to help others rise. Alumni, volunteers, donors, faith communities, businesses, and community partners have all helped shape this next chapter. Rooted & Rising belongs to all of them, from the supporters who have believed in our mission for years to the community partners who continue opening doors for our participants.

It also belongs to the future families who will one day walk through these doors searching for hope.

What encourages me most is that this campaign reflects the kind of leadership our communities need more of right now. It is leadership rooted in collaboration instead of competition, cultivation instead of transaction, and the belief that lasting change happens through relationships, consistency, and community.

At StepUp, we do not simply want to help people survive difficult moments. We want to help create pathways where individuals and families can truly thrive. That is what Rooted & Rising represents: a commitment to expanding opportunity without losing our humanity, a promise that as StepUp grows, we will continue walking beside people with dignity and care, and an investment in the long-term future of families across Wake County.

This campaign also includes a $1 million Strength & Stability Fund designed to ensure StepUp remains financially strong and sustainable as services expand. That matters because this work is not about short-term success. It is about protecting StepUp’s ability to serve with consistency, excellence, and care for years to come. 

Rooted & Rising is our commitment to the people and families who are building new futures every day. It is also our invitation to the community to help make that work possible.

As we look ahead, we are not just preparing for a larger facility. We are preparing for more conversations that restore confidence, more classes that open doors, more partnerships that connect people to resources, and more moments when someone realizes they are capable of taking the next step.

That is the promise of Rooted & Rising. It allows StepUp to grow without losing what has always made this work powerful: the relationships, trust, and steady support that help people move from instability to opportunity.

Together, we can create the space StepUp needs to meet this moment and continue walking alongside more individuals and families as they move toward stability, opportunity, and lasting change.