We caught up with Jodi Stamey, committee member of the WakeMed Foundation Helton Scholarship Endowment Fund and Vice President for Advancement at William Peace University, to talk about why serving WakeMed matters to her.

Education matters to local leader Jodi Stamey. It’s why she spends her professional career in university advancement, cultivating community and alumni financial support for William Peace University (WPU) located in downtown Raleigh. And it’s why she devotes some of her off time to the WakeMed Foundation’s Helton Scholarship, which offers opportunities for hospital staff and employees to further their own education through training and certification programs.

“Every year, there are at least some tears shed,” Jodi says of the scholarship selection process. The tears are both happy and sad ones. “You get to understand the depth of people’s stories and it really touches your heart. It’s the passion behind the stories that sticks with you.”

Living it out

Since becoming involved with the WakeMed Foundation Helton Scholarship a few years ago, Jodi has been impressed with the passion in every corner of the WakeMed Health & Hospitals system. “Everybody at WakeMed really lives the mission and the vision and the values,” Jodi says. She sees it firsthand when reviewing scholarship applications, which are granted on the basis of the WakeMed mission. After all, these applicants are WakeMed employees first and scholarship applicants second. “These are individuals dedicated to improving their commitment to creating a great patient experience by furthering their education and experiences,” Jodi says.

Supporting the scholarship strengthens the team that makes WakeMed work, which in turn makes WakeMed a better health care system and contributes to a stronger community at large, Jodi says. “WakeMed has helped shape our community for many years and that goes far beyond traditional healthcare. It is a culture, the WakeMed Way, where ongoing commitment to putting others first to make our community a healthier place to live, work, and play is essential to further its mission. It is a cornerstone in our community.”

Building passion and community

Giving back to WakeMed has been gratifying. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet some really great people who are also passionate about our community,” Jodi says. She’s also been inspired time and again. “Every person has a story and nestled in those narratives are hope, tragedy, accomplishments, sadness, and success, but most importantly passion … It’s made me reflect on the desire that so many of us share to be passionate about one another and to care for each other.”

About Jodi Stamey

Jodi Stamey is Vice President for University Advancement at William Peace University. The fundraising and philanthropy leader has been involved with the WakeMed Foundation since 2018. As a current committee member for the WakeMed Foundation Helton Scholarship Endowment Fund, Jodi provides her knowledge in higher education and fundraising to support the scholarship program, which offers opportunities for WakeMed employees to further their education.