DEBBY STELLWAGEN

By Jennie Renner | Photo by Eva Tosco

Every day, Debby Stellwagen lives out her passion as the Vice President of Resource Development & Marketing for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne. She believes that children are our future, so it makes sense to invest in them.

“I find great pleasure in watching children grow up,” she said. “To find out who they are … what their gifts and their talents are, to support them … and then teach them to use those gifts and passion to give back, as well.”

Stellwagen, who’s 58, grew up in Minnesota. She moved to Fort Wayne with her family about 15 years ago when her husband got a job teaching. Before joining the Boys & Girls Club, she had a career in the corporate world, most recently at Fort Wayne Newspapers. But in 2016, she found herself looking for something new.

At the Boys & Girls Club, she gets to do what she loves by directly impacting the lives of children. One of her favorite projects has been the Blue Bucket Brigade, a partnership between law enforcement and community organizations to build positive relationships and mutual respect between officers and youth. She enjoys seeing the relationships that have been formed through this program.

“Now police officers can walk into this club at any time, in uniform or out of uniform, and they’re welcome,” said Stellwagen. “The kids are glad to see them, and it wasn’t always that way.”

Another of her favorite programs is Project Blueprint, where the Boys & Girls Club introduces kids to careers in skilled trades. Stellwagen said that it’s rewarding to see the young people get excited about learning skills that might lead to future job opportunities that they didn’t even know existed for them.

She is humble about her role in all of this. “It’s not about me, I’m just part of the team,” she said. “To see those kids the lights go on in their brains and their eyes sparkle and they get all excited about something it’s very, very, very rewarding for me, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Stellwagen’s philosophy is that “life is a journey, not a destination.” She encourages others to not only stop and smell the roses, but also to “create some roses along the way for other people.” She has instilled this outlook in her own children, as well.

She recalled dropping her youngest daughter off at high school every morning and telling her, “You have a smile in your pocket, and you need to give it away today.” At the time, her daughter would just roll her eyes. Now that she’s in her 20’s, Stellwagen said her daughter gets it; “It’s about making somebody else’s day better.”

That’s how Stellwagen strives to live her life spreading kindness to others. “It’s so easy to be kind, it costs nothing. It takes very little time,” she said. “Everybody has the ability and capability to be kind, and it just can make such a huge difference.” a

Parenting is life’s hardest job and sometimes we all need a helping hand. SCAN’s Community Partners program is here to walk alongside parents, giving them the support and connections to resources they need to be the best parents they can be.

It doesn’t matter what you are facing, you do not have to do it alone.

Call us at 1-800-752-7116 scanfw.org/communitypartners

Community Partners

Who’s ready to dive into summer? There’s no better way to spend a sunny afternoon than at the lake or pool. Make sure everyone stays safe while having fun by practicing Water Safety tips such as:

Never let children swim alone

Young children should wear a life jacket

Do not play breath-holding games

Learn more about Water Safety by going to scanfw.org/water-safety