Stephanie Schooley had some good teachers growing up - not so much in school, but at home.

Her grandmother was involved in cultural-exchange programs and scholarships for minorities. She was a champion for women's rights and causes before it got so much publicity.

Her father died when she was a kid.

"His funeral was on my 16th birthday," she said.

But he lived long enough for her to learn from him, too.

"More than anything else, what I got from him was the notion that anyone who walks into a room, you have something in common with them," Schooley said.

Her mom was also involved in the same stuff as her grandmother. But she was also raising a family solo.

"Mom was really just trying to pay the bills," Schooley said. "It helped me grow up with the lights on."

Schooley, too, is involved in the community. She works for Colorado Campus Compact as director of the regional AmeriCorps/ VISTA program.

In her spare time, she's on the board of Hoofs 'n Paws Development Center, an Arvada nonprofit that incorporates horses and dogs in therapy sessions for people with disabilities.

"Some people don't trust people," Schooley said. "But they trust animals."

It's not just mental therapy, but physical. For example, therapists put people in wheelchairs on horses, a way of helping them focus on what they can do instead of what they can't.

"I've been a bleeding heart volunteer forever," Schooley said.

For her work on behalf of Hoofs 'n Paws, Schooley was named the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award winner for February. The award is named after the late activist.

Schooley, 30, is a native of Austin, Texas, but lost her drawl a while back.

"I grew up in a solid, middle- class family," Schooley said. "There was always an expectation that we'd get involved, to care about what was going on in other peoples' lives."

Schooley has her own horse she's training for Hoofs 'n Paws.

His name is Oliver. A friend suggested it, saying "Ollie" was simple for kids to pronounce.

He's a 3-year-old Appaloosa- Peruvian Paso cross.

"He has freckles all over him. He's black and white with spots exactly like a Dalmatian," Schooley said.

Schooley came to Denver with VISTA in 1998. She trained tutors and helped set up a literacy program.

After her tour was over, she went to the University of Denver, receiving a master's degree in conflict resolution in 2001.

Then it was back to the community-oriented stuff for her.

Now, she works with college students, encouraging them to serve others in their communities, much as she has done most of her life.

"A lot of what I do is a tribute to my parents," Schooley said.

massarog@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5271

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