Stephanie Guest Reminisces About the Past and Shares her Hopes for the Future

Stephanie Guest has been an NCS supporter for almost 30 years. The relationship started when she met with Reverend Hays Rockwell of St. James’ Church to discuss life, and the reverend thought it might be good for Stephanie to volunteer at the St. James’ lunch program during the summer when many ongoing volunteers were away.   

“It was really an eye-opener,” Stephanie shared. “I got to know the people at the meals and they weren’t at all what I expected.” What started as a summer opportunity led to a lifetime commitment. Stephanie joined the Board of Directors in 1994, served as Chair from 1998 until 2008 and then stepped down to serve as Vice President, a position she still holds today.  

“I was first attracted to NCS because of the respect given to each individual. I always want to support that— helping people on their own path toward independence. NCS combines public and private funding to expand our reach and create new program models that address critical needs in the city. It’s valuable because it works.” 

To ensure that she could continue supporting NCS’s work into the future, Stephanie became a Legacy Society member. The NCS Legacy Society celebrates our most dedicated supporters who invest in NCS’s future with a planned gift.  

These loyal donors know that NCS has pioneered services for people experiencing homelessness for 40 years, and they want to ensure that this innovation will continue to provide for the needs of housing insecure New Yorkers for the next 40 or 80 years. 

If you have any questions about leaving a gift to NCS in your will, please contact Nancy Riedl at (212) 537-5140 or nriedl@ncsinc.org. If you have been so generous as to include a gift to NCS as part of your estate plan, please let us know so we can recognize you and your family for your generosity in the NCS Legacy Society. 

In honor of NCS’s 40th anniversary, we will be sharing stories about our founders, volunteers, supporters, and staff who make our work possible, and the residents and clients at the center of our mission.
Check back throughout the year as we regularly update the series with new stories from our 40 years here.