Inside StepUp Wilmington
Updated: Oct 12
NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT / OCTOBER 2026
"I am a valuable person of great worth."
Inside StepUp Wilmington, where neighbors facing barriers to employment become job ready, get hired, and keep growing.
Interview by Suzy Struhs, Volunteer Leadership Lab • With Jordan Reuck-Harter, Volunteer and Employer Relations Manager, and Emily Mitchell, Chief Development Officer, StepUp Wilmington
Every month, the ILM Volunteer Hub features a local organization doing the work of holding this community together. This month, we visit StepUp Wilmington, which has helped people facing barriers to employment become job ready since 2003. The words in our headline are painted on the wall of their meeting room.
We sat down with Jordan Reuck-Harter and Emily Mitchell to talk about Jobs Week, the volunteers who help run it, and why every person who walks through their doors has something to give.
1,000 Job Placements by 2022 | 300+ Teens Served Last Year | 40 Active Volunteers |
For people who don't know StepUp Wilmington, what do you do and who do you serve?
We're a community nonprofit that supports individuals in becoming job ready. We aim to serve those in our community who may be facing barriers to employment.
About 67% of the adults who come through our program have justice involvement in their background, which is an enormous barrier to employment. We also work with domestic violence survivors, individuals experiencing homelessness or food insecurity, and those in recovery from substance use disorder. Sometimes the barrier is that someone hasn't worked in 15 years.
Every Jobs Week class is incredibly diverse, so our Candidates (class participants) learn not only from the sessions during the week, but also from one another.
CORE PROGRAM Jobs Week A 3.5-day job-readiness course held in partnership with Cape Fear Community College. It runs as a workplace simulation where timeliness, engagement, and effort are expected, with sessions on professional communication, time management, confidence building, and more. |
CONDENSED NextUp A shorter version of Jobs Week, so individuals who can't commit to the full course can still access its key lessons and benefits. |
YOUTH Teen Career Readiness Academy Workforce readiness for young people, mirroring the adult program at an age-appropriate level. The Academy served more than 300 students last fiscal year. |
Once someone has graduated from one of our programs, they can explore everything else we offer. Every Candidate receives a professional resume written by one of our staff or volunteers. That's "one of our most prized and cherished volunteer roles: the resume writer."
Candidates also begin meeting regularly with a one-on-one coach we call a Talent Manager. The Talent Manager is the Candidate's direct connection to our organization, supporting them through continuing education (with scholarships provided), their job search, and any additional resources they need.
AFTER GRADUATION CareerUp An evening of continuing development at First Presbyterian Church. Everyone prepares, serves, and shares a family-style meal, then joins a skill-building session often led by a volunteer or community partner: goal setting, vision boards, financial literacy, and now networking nights. Childcare is provided, usually by a volunteer, so adults can focus on themselves. |
Can you share a brief history of StepUp?
StepUp was founded in 2003 by Reverend Don Skinner, who saw in his community a loss of purpose, a loss of hope, and in some ways the loss of the tangible things you need, such as a home and food.
We began as Phoenix Employment Ministries, then became Phoenix Hometown Heroes, before becoming StepUp Wilmington in 2011 and joining three other StepUp organizations in North Carolina.
What accomplishments would you like to share?
In 2022, we reached 1,000 people placed in jobs. Another big landmark came in 2018, when we started our youth programming. The earlier young people are exposed to the workforce, the further they're going to go.
We just had a record-breaking year for the number of youth we serve and the number of youth placed in jobs. Those jobs paid an average wage of over $14 an hour, nearly double the $7.25 minimum wage. That's in huge part due to our youth program director, Blair Dwyer.
Starting this year, our youth programming is in every New Hanover County school for all juniors and seniors. Workforce readiness now comes to them.
Where do community volunteers fit into your organization?
Volunteers are part of just about every piece of StepUp: the front desk, resume writers, cooks, and people who donate food to be cooked at CareerUp. Our volunteer base seems to have "almost an intuitive sense of need." They understand what's needed and that they've got something to give. They represent a lot of what we wish for our Candidates.
Some volunteers meet one-on-one with Candidates at our office, alongside the Talent Manager, to provide specialized conversations. Volunteers also facilitate many of our Jobs Week sessions, and there's a very specific process for preparing them:
Observe: watch the session delivered live
Mock facilitation: present to staff acting as the class, who challenge you with tough questions and interruptions
Sign up: once cleared, choose the sessions you want to facilitate
We challenge volunteers that way so their facilitation in front of Candidates is as excellent as possible.
What would be missing from StepUp without volunteers?
A good chunk of who we are.
We're nine full-time people. When you've got a class of 45 or 50 adults or teens, all going through very different things in life, you need that diversity. Volunteer facilitators get to use skills they've honed over years, and the Candidates (and honestly, the staff) get to benefit from that experience and expertise.
What volunteer opportunities exist, from one-time shifts to longer commitments?
There's something for every schedule.
ONE-TIME Cook and serve a CareerUp dinner A great fit for company teams and groups. Staff plan the menu, provide the ingredients, and show you around the kitchen. A team from the CarMax sales department, for example, signed up to cook together and serve dinner to everyone. |
ONGOING Front desk A consistent, scheduled role. Camille, one of our front desk volunteers, is here every Monday and Friday for two hours. |
TRAINED ROLES Program support
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What qualities make someone a great StepUp volunteer?
I believe any person can thrive here. We've got something for everyone. A strong desire to use your experience and spare time to make this community a better place is the quality that matters most to us.
What might surprise a volunteer about StepUp when they begin?
The ease here. This is heavy work, and it can be taxing in a lot of different ways. But when you're around a group of people who could probably be making more money with less work, and they choose to be in a place like this, "you start to really see how many kindred spirits you have." It's easy to wrap yourself in the community here, because we're all growing in the same direction.
What does training and support look like?
It depends on what you want to do. The front desk is straightforward: you show up, and I'll sit with you and talk through the different things you'll encounter. Facilitators observe, complete a mock facilitation with staff, and then they're cleared to sign up. Training for mock interviewers and resume writers is similar to facilitation, but not as involved. We want volunteers to really see and experience what they'll be doing.
What do volunteers tell you they get out of it?
Connection, inspiration, gratitude. Many of our Candidates navigate significant challenges, including past justice involvement.
When volunteers step into a room, stereotypes and assumptions naturally fall away through real dialogue. Jordan Reuck-Harter, StepUp Wilmington |
Engaging with our Candidates quickly highlights their immense talent, intelligence, and resilience, qualities that simply needed a platform to be recognized. For volunteers, it's a powerful experience to see people for their true potential rather than their past, and to realize just how much we learn from one another.
Is there an individual volunteer who stands out?
One who comes to mind is Chester Wong. He's volunteered with StepUp in most capacities for over 10 years, across our teen and adult programs. He shows up consistently to do mock interviews and resume help. He's even served on our board, which can be one of the most impactful and challenging volunteer roles of all.
Chester is such a good example of someone who had a long career, loved what he did, and loves even more that he can give back and get other people excited about their future and potential.
Looking at the year ahead, what are your biggest volunteer needs?
Program support. Our classes are getting bigger, and the teen classes are getting bigger and more frequent. Here's how often our programs run:
Jobs Week: twice a month
NextUp: once a month
CareerUp: every Wednesday
Teen Academy: more frequent and consistent with our expanded New Hanover County Schools partnership
Class sizes for Jobs Week, NextUp, and Teen Academy can be anywhere from 15 to 45.
Are there any roles that are particularly hard to fill?
Resume writers. Typically, volunteers come to Jobs Week to speak directly with Candidates, then go home to write their resumes. That in-person plus homework commitment is a lot to ask, so we recently created a path for volunteers to support the process fully remotely.
That brings a different challenge, since you're writing a resume for someone you've never spoken to. It all comes down to preference, and we hope the new option means more people will want to help this way.
What would it mean to StepUp to double your volunteer base this year?
More time on each individual Candidate and their progress toward their goals. Increased case-management capacity is so valuable, because there are always people who need support. We want to provide an excellent level of care to everyone who comes through our doors.
What would you say to someone who has never volunteered and isn't sure they have anything to offer?
They are a valuable person of great worth, and they most certainly have something to give. Jordan Reuck-Harter, StepUp Wilmington |
Where should people go to get involved?
Come see us in person, email me, call me, even send a carrier pigeon. You can also find us on the ILM Volunteer Hub or on our website. It's easy to begin, because it all starts with a conversation.
Finish this sentence: Volunteers make it possible for us to...
Exist.
I don't know that we could do anything without volunteers. We've got about 40 active volunteers and nine full-time staff. What would we do if 40 of our staff weren't here? We would not be able to help the community. It's not physically possible. With volunteers, it becomes possible and realized, and we are endlessly grateful for that.
Volunteer with StepUp Wilmington StepUp Wilmington posts its volunteer opportunities on the ILM Volunteer Hub. Browse current needs, sign up for a shift, and track your hours. |
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