Trustee Myron Stewart - Dedicated to Helping

Myron Stewart, MBA, remembers how an organization like Wheeler could have helped him as a child.

“There was no Wheeler for my mother when I was growing up in Detroit. If you got sick, you went to the hospital. I joined Wheeler’s board because I could relate to a lot of the issues that the people we serve are going through. Being a minority, growing up in a single-parent home, where my mother was struggling, not knowing how to get help, or even if services were available. I’ve lived it.”

Today, Stewart, a US Army veteran and Distributor Account Manager at Linde USA, serves on the Board of Trustees and its Development Committee, charged with raising private support for Wheeler’s mission.

“I think I can communicate our mission effectively to donors and the people we serve. I’ve grown so much in my life, and just because you’ve grown, it’s doesn’t mean you forget where you were at or where you came from."

"It’s vital that donors see that their investments in us are being put to work. It’s money that is going right back to the community, helping people through the Basic Needs Fund or other areas. It’s allowing us to expand to new areas that need it, adding new services, giving people the help they need, stopping COVID. That’s a community I want to be part of.”

Along with Wheeler, Stewart also serves on the board of the Jumoke Academy in Hartford, a charter school that prepares children to successfully compete in the global marketplace despite the social and economic challenges they may presently face. In addition, he has been involved in youth sports for more than 20 years as a coach.

“You can see the difference you make in a kid’s life. A lot of the very first kids I coached are now 25, 26, 27 years old. I’ll run into one and hear about how they’re now giving back to their communities in their own ways. Some are even coaches themselves. That’s why you do it all. My wife tells me I do too much, but I’ve lived it all. It’s my background. It’s important for people to know that they can ask for and accept help.”