Spirit of Hope Youth Ranch

Michael Connor (President) is the Practice Manager at Liberty Animal Hospital and holds a BA in Business from University Of North Florida. He has over 25 years of experience as an executive in the transportation industry and his most recent position was as President of Fontaine Specialized, a manufacturer of heavy haul trailers. After a brief trial with early retirement, where he did volunteer work for the SOHYR, he re-entered the workforce at Liberty Animal Hospital. Mike is a Navy brat, an ex-Army Captain and a veteran of Vietnam where he served two years as a helicopter pilot. As a past President of the Shelby County Humane Society he feels that volunteer work is its own reward. Mike is married to Angie, has three sons and eight grandchildren.

Debrah Fisher (Secretary) holds a BA in Psychology from Evangel College in Springfield, MO. She came to Birmingham in 2002 and went to work for the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education, a national membership association for healthcare educators. Her passion for horses came later in life when she worked part time at an equine reproduction facility and experienced the healing power of this relationship in her own life. Debrah found out about Spirit of Hope by contacting Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in 2006 and asking for information on similar programs in Alabama. She started volunteering right away and has been blessed beyond measure by God’s amazing work in the lives of both children in need and rescued horses.

Colleen Samples is a registered nurse with a Masters in Nursing from UAB and a graduate from Cumberland School of Law. She has been a nurse in several local hospitals and practiced law for a number of years with a law firm in Birmingham. She is currently employed as a medical/legal consultant. Her concern for animals and children’s rights and well being makes Spirit of Hope a perfect fit for her talents. The kids participating at the ranch affectionately call her “the cookie lady.”

David Stephenson (Vice President) is the pastor of Grace Presbyterian in Chelsea, AL. He and his wife Kelly both graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. David grew up in East Tennessee, attended college in Knoxville and was always around horses. During high school and college, he worked with horses at summer camps; snuck on the University of Tennessee equestrian team and even tried to rodeo (“tried” is the best word). After college, he was the director of Camp Westminster in Georgia, a student pastor in Florida, and on staff with Briarwood Church in Birmingham. David and Kelly moved to Alabama in 2006 and are excited to settle into the community of Chelsea. David’s love of horses, children, and Jesus come together in the ministry of SOHYR.