Lifespan Advocacy and Navigation for Virginians with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Stefon’s Smile Inc. empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families to navigate Virginia’s complex service systems with confidence, dignity, and hope. No family should ever have to navigate alone, and now they don’t have to.
A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit : 41-3660411 Founded in 2026 in the Commonwealth of Virginia — every dollar fuels lifespan advocacy for families navigating IDD systems.
Caring and Supportive Advocacy Alliance, schools, healthcare providers across Virginia.
From Stefon's smile to Inclusion—a bilingual, culturally responsive movement ensuring that no family living with IDD has to navigate the journey alone.
Before there was an organization, before there was a mission statement, there was a mother sitting beside a hospital bed, watching her son fight for his life — again.
Stefon, the son of founder Shareen Young-Chavez, is a young man with intellectual disabilities and significant medical co-morbidities. Through every crisis — brain surgery, eye surgery, back surgery, life support — one question echoed in Shareen’s mind: “Why won’t someone just help me?”
No one answered that question for Shareen-so she answered it herself. On January 9, 2026, she founded Stefon’s Smile Inc.
That smile — radiant, resilient, defiant — became the symbol of everything the organization stands for: the belief that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve not just survival, but joy, dignity, and full participation in community life.
Supporting individuals with IDD and their families across every dimension of life
Lifespan Navigation Services
Individualized, person-centered navigation that guides individuals with IDD and their families through Virginia's complex disability service systems — healthcare, education, Medicaid waivers, social services, housing, employment, and community resources. Our navigators serve as a consistent, trusted point of contact across every life transition.
Advocacy and Empowerment Programming
Training, coaching, and capacity-building that transforms families from passive service recipients into confident, effective self-advocates. Includes rights education, systems literacy workshops, individualized advocacy coaching, and peer mentoring.
Puentes de Inclusion/Bridges to 'Community' Inclusion
Intentional programming that bridges individuals with IDD into the full fabric of community life — social, recreational, civic, and vocational. Culturally and linguistically responsive outreach ensures every family is meaningfully served regardless of background, language, or location.
Family-Centered Support and Education
Caregiver support groups, family education workshops, resource fairs, and a centralized family resource hub connecting families to available services and eligibility information across Virginia's systems.
Systems Change and Capacity Building
Strategic partnerships with community organizations, schools, healthcare providers, and government agencies to reduce systemic barriers, improve cross-system coordination, and build a more inclusive and connected service infrastructure across Virginia.
January 9,2026
N. Chesterfield, VA
501(C)(3) Nonprofit
EIN: 41-3660411
114876398
Commonwealth of Virginia
Shareen Young-Chavez
Stefon's Smile Inc. serves Virginians with intellectual and developmental disabilities across all ages and life stages — from early childhood through school-age transitions, adulthood, employment, and aging — along with their families, caregivers, and support networks.
We give special attention to underserved populations:
Our geographic focus is statewide, with initial concentration in the Greater Richmond and Tri-Cities region. Regardless of background, language, income, or diagnosis — every individual and family is met with culturally responsive, person-centered support.
Every individual with an intellectual or developmental disability belongs in community life, and our work exists to make that belonging real.
We don't just navigate for families — we equip them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate and advocate for themselves.
Our support spans every stage of life, from early childhood through adulthood and aging, because the need for advocacy never expires.
We recognize that strong families are the foundation of strong outcomes, and we walk alongside the entire family unit.
We actively work to dismantle the systemic barriers that disproportionately impact low-income families, families of color, and families with limited English proficiency.
Reflected in our bilingual name, Puentes de Inclusión, our commitment to meeting families in their language, culture, and context is foundational — not an afterthought.
We build bridges between individuals, families, service providers, and community resources to create a connected, coordinated support ecosystem.
We champion the rights, dignity, and full participation of individuals with IDD at every level — individual, systemic, and policy.
Founder & President, Stefon's Smile Inc.
Stefon's smile is not a metaphor invented for a logo or a tagline. It is real. It belongs to a young man who has endured brain surgery, life support, and more medical interventions than most people can imagine — and who, through it all, has smiled. That smile is resilience made visible. It is joy that refuses to be extinguished by circumstance. And it is the beating heart of an organization that carries his name. What began with one mother's struggle and one child's courage has grown into a movement — a bridge — connecting families to the futures they deserve. Stefon's smile lit the way. The organization ensures that light reaches every family that needs it.
Every dollar fuels lifespan advocacy, bilingual navigation, and family empowerment across Virginia — keeping no family alone on the journey.
Learn how Virginia families navigate intellectual and developmental disability services — and where the gaps are.
Give, volunteer, or share your story. Every contribution fuels lifespan advocacy and bilingual support.
Connect with our team for navigation, training, or a warm hand-off to the right partner organization.
Watch families gain confidence, voice, and access — building bridges to inclusion that last a lifetime.
Whether you need support, want to volunteer, or are ready to partner with us — Stefon's Smile is here. All donations are tax deductible
Proudly serving families across Virginia with compassion and dedication.
Richmond, VA
Virginia
Virginia
Virginia
Virginia
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