Our Team
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 Bachelor’s 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 underserved 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 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.
Vanessa Gee | 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 five months in South Sudan doing social documentary photography. Shortly after, she spent a year in the Iraq office near Mosul writing grants. When she returned to the States, she 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 (SOHY) where she’s been working the last 4 years. She has a passion for seeing God move in the lives of youth to rise up and become who they were meant to be! SOHY Summer Camp is one of her favorite times of the year. Her incredible husband, Zach, also volunteers with SOHY. Together they thrive on being outdoors. Some of their favorite hobbies include rock climbing, hiking, camping, snowshoeing, and for Vanessa, watercoloring.
Alia Gonzales | Director of Donor Relations
Newest team member who is artfully crafting her bio. Stay Tuned!
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 led 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 has fresh air and is surrounded by nature, he's there!