Pageant Queen Gets Hands-On Helping Veterans

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Tiffany Wells. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

Tiffany Wells comes from a long line of veterans in every branch of the military. Unable to serve herself due to asthma, she became an advocate for veterans and, like her mom, a dedicated volunteer. Tiffany serves as vice president of Rebuilding Together Aurora and a board member of Support Over Stigma. 

The former organizes more than 300 volunteers in doing critical home repairs—safety modifications, energy efficiency upgrades, home preservation and more—at no cost to low-income owners. They have provided over $350,000 in 2024 alone. Tiffany has raised over $1 million in grant funding for veterans, disabled individuals and seniors across Illinois to provide them with safe and healthy homes. Her work with Support Over Stigma helps veterans and first responders overcome mental health and service-related challenges.  

Tiffany does all of this on top of working full time as an auditor at Wells Fargo, a company she’s been  with for over 16 years, and a part-time service desk associate at Home Depot, a role she’s held for five and a half. She leads both companies’ volunteer impact teams, connecting employees with volunteer projects to create an even bigger impact in her community and a legacy of service. 

What inspires you to volunteer? 

I lost my parents to illness when I was young. Family has always been very important, and being close with mine has been such a blessing. When we lost my parents, it was important to me to carry on the traditions instilled by them as well as making sure we are always connected. 

Working with Wells Fargo and Home Depot and having access to people who want to help the community has allowed me to help others feel connected and supported. Not everyone can afford to get repairs done on their home. Some people live paycheck to paycheck, and it’s difficult. I started volunteering with Rebuild Together over 10 years ago through a Wells Fargo volunteer event. Wells Fargo has a great volunteer impact team that puts a lot of emphasis on housing needs. They have a partnership with Rebuilding Together, so they work side-by-side with different affiliates and help with grant funding.  

I’ve been competing in pageants for 20 years. Being a former Mrs. Illinois has also helped me open doors to a lot of nonprofits, including Support Over Stigma. I know what it’s like when military family members come home from overseas, the toll their experiences can take, not only on that service number, but on their family. 

Tell us about your volunteer role with Rebuilding Together Aurora and Support Over Stigma. 

I’m a board member for both groups, so I work closely on community outreach, fundraising, networking and in various volunteering capacities. There’s a lot of coordinating events like our big Fall Flannel event coming up for Rebuilding Together. And we do our two-day Community Block Build at the end of April or May each year with anywhere from 20 to 50 homes. Those are always big projects. I bring awareness to the organizations and find funding.  

At Support Over Stigma, we assist with a wide range of things. I have resources, not just within the two organizations I work with, but with VFW Post. I have friends who have served who can help facilitate. My companies have some really great programs that we can tap into for grant funding, too. I worked from home when the pandemic hit, and I wanted to do something where I could interact with people. I’m a social person, and Home Depot gave me that outlet both through work and as volunteer co-captain for Team Depot, our volunteer force. 

I’m also the volunteer leader for Wells Fargo’s Illinois Employee Impact team. I help run volunteer events, and I get people involved within our organization. We have over 200,000 employees, and I can get 50 to 60 volunteers to come to an event. 

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work? 

I’ve seen Support Over Stigma save hundreds of lives this year from suicide. It’s estimated that 22 veterans are committing suicide every day. I’ve had veterans come up to and say, “This organization has saved me,” and that just pulls on my heartstrings. 

Making someone feel like they have someone who cares about them and ensuring that they have a working sink or a bathtub… Ensuring people are living in a clean environment, with a shower they can actually use—we help with ADA guidelines—is the best. I love seeing the transformation and how happy it makes the homeowner.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer? 

Besides the skills to use a drill, a hammer and a saw, it’s taught me to not be biased. You look at a certain situation, and you think, Well, they could avoid that. I’m an empath, and talking to these individuals helps me understand what really is going on instead of judging it. Now, my interpretation is based on fact and understanding an individual’s circumstance which has opened my heart, my mind and my patience. I’ve learned to be gentle at solving problems, and it’s honed my abilities to communicate. 

What do you want people to learn from your story? 

You make time for what you love to do. There’s 24 hours in a day. If you want to do it, you’re going to do it. There are a lot of different ways you can show support. But if your love language is serving, then get involved. Start small. That’s how I started. I joined my work volunteer group. They were having a volunteer event, and I decided to go for an hour to see if I liked it. You don’t know until you try. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Tiffany? Find local volunteer opportunities.