It is with heavy hearts we share that we have lost our dear friend and colleague Brenda Stark. She was an important and cherished member of our Y.O.U. family for more than 20 years.

Brenda achieved a great deal during her time at our organization.

She began her career here in 1987, as a Career Coach at her alma mater Collinwood High School. There, she worked for several years and helped hundreds of young people learn about careers, find jobs, and prepare for life.

She developed numerous Y.O.U. programs, including: “Planting the Seed,” “Project CAST,” “Prime Time,” and “ProPath.” This year, she developed the PEEKE (Partnerships, Exploration, Experience, Knowledge, Excellence) internship program, which gives 35 high school juniors from Cuyahoga County an opportunity to gain a mentor and a work experience in a field of their career interest.

Brenda mentored thousands of youth during her career, and she was an inspirational leader and coach to many people on our staff. She served as a field manager for one of the country’s largest summer job programs and led the Frank G. Jackson Summer Jobs Program for five years. In 2018, we inducted her into the Y.O.U. Hall of Fame for her service to our organization.

We already miss Brenda so much, and we know Y.O.U. won’t be the same without her. We’re grateful for the time we had to know her, to laugh with her, and learn from her.