Among the StandUp for Kids – Orange County Advisory Council stands Stacy Gorgie, VP, Branch Manager of Umpqua Bank, who has enriched our organization with her support and involvement for several years. Stacy is a factotum of our community, devoting her time to multiple humanitarian efforts outside of her work in commercial banking and her personal, familial roles. Her warm and welcoming nature is a beacon of light within our organization and her kindness is contagious, spreading to others around her and changing the lives of our youth.
Stacy’s story with StandUp for Kids began during her hiatus from banking, where she worked with a luxury rehabilitation center in Huntington Beach called Wavelengths Recovery. There she was a mentor and a caretaker to young women overcoming addiction, many of which were navigating pregnancy. At that time, one of the young women she mentored was named Isabella, who was involved in a mentorship with Justine Palmore and was receiving assistance from StandUp for Kids. Stacy and Justine’s mutual goal of helping Isabella out of challenging circumstances forged a connection that would foreshadow Stacy’s later role in our organization. Isabella went on to finish her treatment at Wavelengths, earned back custody of her child, and built a life for herself with aid from StandUp for Kids.
Fast forward a couple years to when Stacy was once again connected to our organization with her employment at Umpqua Bank through her director Melissa Castillo, one of our preceding board members. Umpqua Bank provided long-standing support to StandUp for Kids to better the lives of homeless Orange County youth. Over the course of her four-year service on our board, Stacy and her team from Umpqua Bank have donated invaluable resources and grants to our organization. A joint donation between Stacy and her colleague, Todd Abboud, generously garnered about $70,000 for September’s Gala. Furthermore, colleagues Haley Guida and Tyler Thornton were seen running the front desk of the Gala. Stacy and her team are also involved with other local organizations like Project HOPE, providing dinners and donating school supplies to children in need.
Stacy’s spirit of giving and kindness has carried her throughout her professional life. From starting an entry-level role in the banking world at 18 to organically growing her practice and becoming Branch Manager, Stacy’s values of integrity, honesty, authenticity, and empathy set the undertone of her work and her life goals. When asked what her favorite part of her work at Umpqua Bank is, Stacy shared: “It’s the people – all the different people and businesses I get to interact with. One minute I could be talking to a doctor or one minute talking to an owner of a steel company. I work with older people, younger people, every walk of life you can imagine. It’s not just for millionaires here; we open accounts for people who just got released from jail. We help people rebuild their lives and get to a place of financial wellness.” Her service on the board of StandUp for Kids consists of a myriad of different roles and responsibilities. Stacy described it as an “on call” role, where she is called to help StandUp for Kids with upcoming events and through different means in which she can provide support from herself and her business. When recounting her favorite part about her involvement with StandUp for Kids, an emotional response was provoked. Stacy tearfully shared what giving to this organization means to her: “I like to be an example for my team; I’m showing them something that can change people’s lives. Work isn’t just work. You can ask things from your employer to help other people. That work means more to me, to be able to get the bank to support these causes. That makes an imprint in the lives of others and serves as an example of being grateful for what we have.”