June 1, 2026
The Rosalie Tryon Barber Self-Sufficiency Award honors ADVOCAP’s first Executive Director, Rosalie Tryon Barber, who was appointed in 1965. Her leadership helped establish ADVOCAP’s mission of creating opportunities for individuals and communities to overcome poverty and increase self-sufficiency.
Presented annually, the award recognizes those who have achieved self-sufficiency with ADVOCAP’s support and who now create opportunities for others working toward the same goal. This year, ADVOCAP is proud to recognize Jason and Stephanie Gruber.
Jason and Stephanie first connected with ADVOCAP through our Affordable Housing program. Since early 2019, they’ve rented an ADVOCAP-owned unit while building stability for their family.
Before that stability, they experienced challenges including substance use, homelessness, loss of custody of a child, and in Jason’s case, periods of time in jail.
Jason and Stephanie knew each other prior but were serendipitously reconnected when Jason made the choice to enter a local shelter and begin his recovery. Stephanie was also there at the time and working on her own recovery.
Stephanie later transitioned into an ADVOCAP-owned rental unit. Jason followed after, joining Stephanie at her rental where they continued successfully working on recovery and creating a famility together. They regained custody of their son and welcomed a daughter in 2019. In 2023, the family moved into a single-family home, where they continue raising their daughter.
Today, Stephanie homeschools their daughter while Jason works for the Outagamie County Highway Department. Jason also remains active in the recovery community throughout the Fox Valley and supports individuals involved with the Outagamie County Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court (DATC), where he has sponsored a number of individuals.
As renters, the Grubers consistently care for their home and remain reliable tenants. In 2024, they received the WISCAP Courage Award recognizing the progress they made toward self-sufficiency after overcoming major barriers.
Jason describes self-sufficiency as being able to rely on himself and provide for his family. He shared, “I can’t blame anyone else if I don’t have those things, because I’m perfectly capable of providing those things for myself and my family.”
Their story reflects the purpose of the Rosalie Tryon Barber Self-Sufficiency Award and the impact that support and opportunity can have over time. ADVOCAP is honored to recognize them as the 2025 recipients of this award.
