Stacy Dewitt

Background

About Stacy Dewitt

My heart broke years ago as I found myself holding a 3-year old girl in a wet diaper with an empty sippy cup her only belonging. Remembering a quote from one of my heroes, Mr. Rogers, “look for the helpers” when faced with scary things, I looked and the search changed my life. With a background as a Spanish-speaking bilingual teacher to children and a tutor in all subjects and ages, my heart for children is a part of my identity. But when faced with the reality of finding resources and help for a helpless little girl with no parents, my social entrepreneurial business skills emerged quickly to address a larger problem – foster children and aged out youth and the resources gap that exists for their transition into safety or independence. Since our first warehouse in May of 2014, I have successfully built a privately-funded nonprofit organization. The growth has been exponential. In 2021 alone, James Storehouse directly served over 14,686 children and families in the local area with services and critical life-saving resources, averaging around 1,224 children a month while also placing and supporting over 63 apartments for aged-out youth. Our Transportation Program has presented over 20 gently used cars to eligible youth. Our transitional home in Ventura is a safe-haven for females who have aged out of foster care. Our motto is “From Cribs to College, we serve children in foster care.” Essentially, we help to reduce the time abused and neglected babies and children spend in a “waiting black hole” until they are placed in a loving and safe home. We do this by providing every resource needed for foster families including furniture, clothing, diapers, food, toys, bedding, car seats, etc. For teen moms and aged-out youth, we provide life skills classes, mentoring, nutrition counseling, study skills tutoring, and additional resources customized to their needs. In addition to running the day-to-day operations, I especially enjoy mentoring, training and developing interns, leaders and teams to empower them to be effective in their roles, whether as a volunteer or part-time employee. It is my highest honor to fight for justice and to be a strong voice for the voiceless and most vulnerable in my community. Key Skills: Social Justice Entrepreneurship Executive Management Inspirational Team Leadership Visionary Project and Program Management Creative & Strategic Thinker Business Development Donor Relations Operations Public Speaker Mentor & Child Advocate For more information or to contact, please go to