PHOENIX — As Valley charitable organizations look to provide for those in need, one Valley teenager is using her love of extreme couponing to help other teens who are in need this holiday season.
Stephanie Vojtek has been busy this holiday season. The Desert Vista High School senior has spent the better part of this year helping others.
“These 500 items will affect roughly 150 teens,” Vojtek explained as she sorts through items that will be donated. “The previous 300 items affected roughly 90 teens. But it’s also donated to their families as well.”
Vojtek has taken part in three donation drives sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee.
Teens in the foster care system, homeless teens and a group closest to Stephanie’s heart -- teenage mothers -- are the recipients of the items that Stephanie has donated.
The way in which she collected those items, though, may seem a bit unusual for someone her age.
“I’ve been extreme couponing. I started in March because of the coronavirus and it definitely kicked off,” she said.
Stephanie gathers all the extra items from her extreme couponing adventures and donates them to the Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee, who, in turn, distributes them to teens around the Valley.
“Because my family has been so blessed by extreme couponing and I wanted to share that with others,” she explained.
This time last year, Stephanie was team captain of her Desert Vista soccer team. She suffered a serious knee injury last December. While recovering from that injury, COVID-19 hit, and all schools closed for the year.
Like many high school athletes, Stephanie was disappointed, watching her senior season of soccer vanish. But she clung to her faith that all things happen for a purpose.
“I definitely think this was God’s timing. That he gave me these skills to coupon at this time to be able to provide for my family and other families as well,” she said.
The Kiwanis Club, which helps children here at home and around the world, is still accepting donations for this holiday season.