The gift was a vase.
One of Stacey Steele’s WISE scholars hand-made it after learning that Stacey’s father had died.
“Here is an individual growing up without their own father, and he is worried about me and how I am feeling," says Stacey.
For Stacey, that moment says more than any award could. She has spent years helping young people feel seen, supported and capable of building a future beyond their circumstances.
Born in Quebec, Stacey spent her early childhood on a 500-acre dairy farm before her family moved to Ontario. Her days began and ended with chores. Hard work was expected. So was helping others.
"My mother organized church bake sales. My father repaired neighbors’ vehicles without charging them. They were my role models," she says.
Stacey was especially close to her dad, who called her the apple of his eye until his death in April.
“He had the biggest influence on how I lead."
Her life changed during a Sunday performance at a theater in downtown Toronto. Michael Steele was seated in the same row with his two daughters. Each time Stacey and a friend passed, he jokingly greeted them with, “You two again?”
Small talk became coffee. Coffee became a relationship. Their shared belief in using what they had to help others became the foundation of a life built around giving.
By then, Michael’s connection to Arizona already stretched back decades.
More than 45 years ago, as a young entrepreneur, Michael came to the Valley through the construction industry. Gainey Ranch was still largely open land when he sat in Daniel C. Gainey’s living room discussing work that would help transform the property.
His companies later contributed to the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, The Phoenician and other projects. Long before Gainey Ranch became one of Scottsdale’s most recognizable communities, Michael maxed out his credit cards to buy three lots for $5,000 each.
He was not simply investing in the Valley. He was helping build it.
Yet the legacy he and Stacey value most is measured in lives, not buildings.
The Steele Family Foundation was established in 2007 in honor of Michael’s parents, Agnes and Thomas Steele. Thomas was injured while serving during World War II and received care in India. The experience left him with an appreciation for those who helped him recover and a conviction that education could change lives.
When he once asked Mother Teresa how he could repay that kindness, her answer stayed with the family: “Educate my people.”
Guided by his parents’ wishes, Michael began building schools in India. Stacey joined the work soon after they met. What began as a family promise became their shared purpose.
“When you are blessed so much in your life by the gifts you have, it comes to a point where you need to share those gifts,” Stacey says.
Today, the foundation supports education, grassroots assistance, homelessness, hospice care and addiction recovery around the world. But Stacey wanted to know the students, understand their obstacles and support them beyond a scholarship.
That vision became WISE.
“WISE is for the ‘stranded superstar,’” Stacey says. “It is for a young person with the ability and determination to succeed, but without the resources or guidance to reach their potential.”
WISE's Earn to Learn model allows students to accumulate points toward scholarship dollars through academics, extracurricular involvement, educational experiences and personal growth.
Beginning in ninth grade, students receive mentorship, career guidance, psychometric assessments, mental wellness tools and individualized support.
In Arizona, WISE works through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, the just keep livin Foundation and Grace Sober Living.
The just keep livin partnership connected Stacey and Michael with Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves McConaughey.
“Matthew and Camila are incredibly humble, kind souls. They truly want to help kids.”
The foundation’s work with Grace Sober Living is personal.
Jimmy and Nancy Walker created the organization after losing their son, Scott, to drugs. Scott had entered recovery homes 27 times and repeatedly told his father the system needed to do better. Jimmy responded by committing to build 27 recovery homes offering the support his son struggled to find.
The Steele Family Foundation helped purchase one of those homes and introduced WISE to Grace Sober Living. This year, three participants completed the program and began postsecondary education with scholarships.
For Stacey, that is what impact looks like: not simply a donation made, but a life being rebuilt.
Another relationship began in the Dominican Republic, where Stacey and Michael met Andrea Bocelli and his wife, Veronica Berti. Both foundations were supporting work connected to SOS Children’s Villages.
The shared mission grew into a friendship and international partnership. In Florence, Andrea and Veronica dedicated a space inside the Andrea Bocelli Foundation’s Globalab headquarters to the Steele Family Foundation and WISE. In October, they honored the Steeles with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Whether somebody is influential or famous, knowing where their heart is, that is what the blessing really is."
As the Steele Family Foundation approaches its 20th anniversary in 2027, Stacey wants WISE to reach more students and become a name employers recognize as a sign of resilience, accountability and potential.
Still, the heart of her mission remains with the individual.
“Their stories make you want to wrap your arms around them and make sure they know they have the support they need.”
thesteelefamilyfoundation.com/wise-scholarship-program