The Yunion’s Nicole Wilson Honored as Mental Health Hero for Empowering Detroit’s Youth and Families
For more than two decades, Nicole Wilson has been at the heart of The Yunion, a Detroit-based nonprofit devoted to uplifting underserved youth and families. Recognized as a Leonard W. Smith Mental Health Hero by the Flinn Foundation, Wilson sees the honor not only as a celebration of her leadership but as a moment to reflect, recharge, and reaffirm her mission.
We asked Wilson what it means personally and professionally to be recognized as a Mental Health Hero.
Q: What is your role at The Yunion?
Wilson: I have had the pleasure of serving as executive director at The Yunion for the past 21 years. We are an agency that loves youth and families, and are committed to serving children that are underserved. We’re committed to giving resources to parents that are under-resourced, and that our goal is to have healed youth and fortified families that will lead to cultivating a strong community.
Q: Why do you think the youth of Detroit need The Yunion?
Wilson: The youth of Detroit need The Yunion because no matter where, they need love. We provide for them. We provide love and support and genuine care for their lives and their outcomes. They need The Yunion because unfortunately, many of the youth that we serve are primarily at a low poverty-level income for their families. And with that comes a lot of societal risks for them. We are an organization that stands in the gap for those.
Q: Can you share a success story about the youth served by The Yunion?
Wilson: One of the things that I can point to is our Keys 2 Life performing arts summer camp. It’s a very intensive program, very fast paced, over six weeks. Many of the students come in very shy, very timid. At the end we have a big, professionally produced performance. The kids are, by the end of that performance, smiling, laughing, literally shining with so much confidence, so much self-esteem. Parents come to me and say ‘thank you — my child has transformed before my eyes.’
Q: Something people might not know is you are a registered nurse. What led to you becoming a nurse?
Wilson: I always knew that whatever I was supposed to do from a very young age, it was supposed to be in a field of caring. I started off in pre-med, but I just knew I wanted to be more of a caregiver. And so I’ve always loved and had a passion for caring for those that needed to be cared for.
Q: You work closely with your husband, Jason Wilson, who is the face of The Yunion. What is that like?
Wilson: [Laughs] I tell people this all the time: Jason and I have been married for 26 years and the secret to our marriage and the secret to us working together and sustaining our marriage is distance. We often don’t even see each other throughout the day. And, we have learned that being able to come home and share with your spouse or your partner, ‘Guess what happened to me today?’ is important.
So our secret is there are three stories in our building. Jason resides on the third story. And I reside on the first. So there’s a layer in the middle that literally is the key. We don’t bring it home with us.
Q: What does it mean to you to be recognized by the Flinn Foundation as a Leonard W. Smith Mental Health Hero?
Wilson: I was so honored. I was happy because I felt seen and heard and acknowledged — not only as a leader, but as just Nicole Wilson, as a woman, as a Black woman. And the moment was not lost on me that four Black women were acknowledged for their work in this field.
Q: This award comes with something unique — a break. What plans do you have?
Wilson: I have a sticky note on the wall of my desk that I put on there probably the first week in 2024. And it says one word: REST. I love to cook. I’m a pretty good cook. My plan is to travel to Italy and, in different regions of Italy, I would like to take cooking classes. I plan on trying to take a full month off to take that trip and to sleep — and to delegate to my more-than-capable team members while I’m gone.
Q: How do you think this break will contribute to your mental health?
Wilson: Being able to identify and acknowledge that I am worthy of it and deserving of it is going to do wonders for my mental health. I know that I’ll come back as a better leader. I know that I’ll come back as a better servant. But more importantly, honestly — I’ll come back as a better Nicole for Nicole.
Q: What do you do on a regular basis for your own mental health?
Wilson: Journaling, meditating, praying, of course — it’s key for me. I pray throughout the day. My relationship with God is my base. It’s extremely important to me.
About The Yunion: The Yunion is a faith-based nonprofit organization in Detroit dedicated to empowering underserved youth and families. Through innovative programs in prevention, education, parental engagement, mentoring and counseling, The Yunion addresses negative cultural influences and fosters community strength. Over the years, it has positively impacted more than 15,000 young individuals in Metro Detroit, collaborating with numerous schools, community organizations, and churches to create environments where youth can thrive. Signature programs include The Cave of Adullam Transformational Training Academy (CATTA) and Keys 2 Life, a life skills and music mentoring initiative — and many others.
Learn more about the Leonard W. Smith Mental Health Hero Award and each of the inaugural honorees at flinnfoundation.org.
