Named the Rising Star for the Tulsa Housing Authority (THA) for the year 2017, Stephanie Reisdorph, Social Service Coordinator at the South Haven Manor and Riverview Park housing complexes, has lived up to that sentiment with her daily contribution to the families and youth at her properties. In the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Harvey and the Las Vegas mass shooting, Reisdorph decided to utilize the events to teach the youth in her youth program about empathy. So, through a three-week card- making campaign, she and the 20 youth in her program worked after school each day to create bracelets and cards for hurricane and shooting survivors and their families. Through her efforts, these cards were sent to the hospital in Las Vegas, that still had many of the shooting victims, and to the Mayor’s Office in Houston, TX. Within a few days of receiving the care packet, the Mayor of Houston was so touched by the gesture that he held a press conference where he distributed the cards and bracelets to workers from the City of Houston who had lost everything in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Reisdorph is also responsible for creating community partnerships Rising Star Stephanie Reisdorph 5 4 True compassion means not only feeling another’s pain, but also being moved to help relieve it. – DANIEL GOLEMAN (L–R) Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado, Stephanie Reisdorph, and Tulsa City Councilor Jeannie Cue enjoy festivities at the 2017 Secret Sheriff Holiday Party. with the Sheriff’s Office to provide the families at her property with Christmas presents and food – through the Sheriff’s County Secret Sheriff Program. In response to the Black Lives Matter movement, Stephanie decided to become a bridge between local law enforcement agencies and the youth at her property. Working with the mayor to create the Junior Deputy program that paired at- risk youth with a Sheriff’s Deputy in a mentorship program, her efforts have given rise to true friendships forming between the youth in her program and local law enforcement officers. Stephanie continues to raise the bar of excellence at our agency and within our community. She is a positive influence in the lives of everyone she encounters, and we expect nothing but the best from her in the days ahead. Mayor Sylvester Turner of the City of Houston distributes cards to his staff from THA youth.