Directors

Nick Gonzales

Founder & Executive Director

Nick Gonzales resides in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife Alia and 3 kids Aiden, Brynley, and Carter. He was born and raised in Houston, TX and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Sam Houston State University. Nick spent 13 years as an educator in Houston before moving to Utah. He is currently the Director of Instrumental Music at West Lake Stem Junior High in the Granite School District. Nick is also a presenter for the Midwest International Band & Orchestra Conference and serves as the Western Division Chair for the Music Education Alliance Foster Project which is an initiative that supports Title 1 band programs in under served communities across the country.
Nick's vision for Stone of Hope Youth began years ago when he taught music at a Title 1 School in Houston, TX. He noticed that too many of his students lacked the basic needs in their personal life such as parental support, encouragement, steady family income, and a safe home and community. Nick's passion has always been to speak life, teach and inspire kids to achieve more than they could ever imagine no matter of their home situation. We at Stone of Hope Youth have a desire to help raise young boys to become great men of integrity. A desire that will bless inner city kids with opportunities that are not easily available to them. We will teach, encourage, and mentor our youth while showing them success comes from hard work, dedication, faith in God, and never giving up.

Casey Spencer

Co-founder, Director of Camps and Development

Casey Spencer resides in Salt Lake City, UT with his wife Emily and their 2 kids: Ada Claire (5) and Graham (2). Casey and Emily were born and raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas and moved to Salt Lake City in June of 2016. He graduated from Arkansas State University with a B.S. in Marketing Management and was a firefighter for the city of Jonesboro, AR for 6 years prior to moving to Utah. God asked his family to step out in faith and follow His calling on their lives to be in Salt Lake City; to work with youth and to lead others in a growing faith in Jesus. Casey loves his family and being active, which includes: hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, snowboarding, and CrossFit. His biggest desire is to use fitness and sports to help youth grow and be more than they ever thought possible.

David Fuhrman

Director of Mentoring

David resides in Salt Lake City with his wife Cassandra and 3 kids: Hezekiah, Kalina & Tahlia. He was born in the land of 10,000 lakes, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended Hibbing Community College in 2001 and played football for the college team. Dave has been in home improvement sales for over 12 years. His career development has brought him from Minnesota; to Pittsburgh, PA; Houston, TX; and now Salt Lake City, UT. He has been working for USI All Purpose Windows & Doors for the past 5 years. God placed Dave in the right place at the right time when it comes to Stone of Hope Youth. In 2014, Dave and his wife moved right down the street from Nick and his wife Alia. One thing lead to another and they found they had lived in the same area of Houston. They both had a strong heart for Jesus and a passion for youth guidance! Dave is also an avid outdoorsman who loves biking, skiing, fishing, camping, and hiking. If it is has fresh air and is surrounded by nature, he's there!

Patricia Shay

Director of Youth Development and Parent Connections

Patricia Shay currently resides in Salt Lake City Utah. She was born and raised in Brazil. There, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and worked with families and children. After moving to the USA, she earned her Master's Degree in School Counseling and has worked as a School Counselor for more than 10 years. Patty loves helping youth become college, career and life ready. Her mantra is “it takes a village to raise a child and access to education to make him/her succeed.” She works closely with directors and mentors to make sure activities and events are developmentally appropriate and model the desired skills youth will need when facing their daily challenges. Because Patty believes parent/guardian engagement and input are crucial to help youth achieve their higher potential, she uses her knowledge of Portuguese, English and Spanish to facilitate parental involvement and acts as a link between parents and Stone of Hope Youth. When not counseling or mentoring, Patty enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking, taking pictures and trying impossible-to-fail recipes which she always manage to prove wrong with her still in development cooking skills.

Vanessa Uhrhahn

Director of Communications

Vanessa is from Salt Lake City, Utah, but grew up in rural Arkansas. She studied at John Brown University in Siloam Springs Arkansas, majoring in English with an emphasis in creative writing, earning a minor in photography all while playing volleyball for the John Brown Golden Eagles. She has a passion for missions and humanitarian aid work and has been all over from Haiti to Cambodia. After graduating, she worked for Samaritan's Purse and spent four months in South Sudan doing social documentary photography. Shortly after, she spent a year in the Samaritan’s Purse Iraq office near Mosul writing grants. When she returned to the States, she became a realtor, but still had the heart for partnering with a nonprofit and asked God to open the door to one here in her native Salt Lake City. He answered her prayer through Stone of Hope Youth. She has a passion for seeing God move in the lives of youth to rise up and become who they were meant to be! Stone of Hope Youth Summer Camp is one of her favorite times of the year. She thrives on being in the wilderness while helping steward and capture it through photography. Some of her favorite hobbies include rock climbing, hiking, camping, snowshoeing, and watercoloring.

Ruan de Lange

Director of Key Relationships

Ruan de Lange grew up in Cape Town, South Africa where he had the privilege to be surrounded by the beauty of the mountains, ocean and wildlife, all in one place! He has a heart for Africa and his travels have taken him to remote parts of the country where he has assisted and facilitated youth development and sport leadership programs. He completed his degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Ruan's upbringing exposed him to the divide between developed and underdeveloped communities and he has since been spurred to understanding the link between the economy and societies, specifically in rural communities and populations. He is currently a doctoral student at the University of Utah in Parks, Recreation and Tourism with a focus on community development and well-being. He has a passion for seeing youth develop to their full potential through sport and mentorship programs.

Galaad Cervantes

Director of Youth Services

Galaad Cervantes grew up in Utah County in a Mexican American family. He graduated from Utah Valley University with his Bachelor's in Paralegal Studies and a minor in Criminal Justice. During his career, he has worked with the public as a court clerk filing petitions and complaints as the 3rd District Matheson Courthouse. Thereafter, he began working with juveniles as a probation officer. His other experiences include working in residential and day treatment youth facilities as well as being a gang prevention specialist in schools. His passion is working with youth to develop life skills and mentoring them to become successful members of our community. Outside of work, he enjoys nature and going camping. His favorite places to visit are national parks. He also enjoys working on cars and practicing martial arts.