Phoenix (STN) – What a way to wrap up the year.
The final episode of ‘It Happens at STN’ in 2025 felt like a holiday block party with a purpose. Under the lights and beside the Christmas tree, local leaders closed out the year by tackling some of the most urgent challenges facing families, kids, and neighbors across Arizona.
The show opened with an in-depth look at the “invisible crisis” of family homelessness and how UMOM’s “jobs-plus-housing” model helped families exit to permanent housing in as little as 90 days.
From there, the conversation shifted to the next generation of leadership.
Fair Trade Café owner and nonprofit founder Stephanie Vasquez spoke about staying grounded in a personal leadership philosophy rooted in love, people, planet and profit, and why sometimes a business needed to “do something spicy and saucy” to re-energize purpose and growth.
WATCH: It Happens at STN, Episode 4, Season 4
ICAN CEO Shelby Pedersen returned to the STN stage to explain how a partnership with the Chandler Compadres was helping change the lives of children across the Valley through expanded after-school programming, academic support and youth development.
The Fiesta Sports Foundation reminded the audience that the season’s biggest wins did not just happen on the field. Through its Wishes for Teachers program, the foundation invested millions in Arizona classrooms during the past decade, giving educators the resources and encouragement they needed most.
December’s show would not have been complete without a holiday tradition. Ballet Arizona Artistic Director Daniela Cardim shared how a sensory-adapted performance of The Nutcracker opened the magic of ballet to families who might not otherwise experience it.
The episode concluded with an emotional look back at the first 20 years of Key Campus (formerly the Human Services Campus) and how its revolutionary approach to addressing homelessness grew from the vision of one man.
Attendees were also given STN’s newest Season 3 Impact Report, now available in digital form for download.
After a short holiday break, ‘It Happens at STN’ returns with a new episode in January, and the live studio experience resumes in February. Tickets for upcoming shows in 2026 are available now.
