Straight from the heart, Stephanie Davis gave herself completely to people in need

As the longtime director of the Crisis Office and the Christmas Store for Catholic Charities Indianapolis, Stephanie Davis, second from left, had a gift for surrounding herself with friends, co-workers and volunteers who shared her dedication to helping people in need. Here, she poses for a photo at the Christmas Store with Simata Wilcox, left, Cheri Bush, Eileen Dennie and Helen Burke.  (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

To start a story about Stephanie Davis, it would be natural to focus on the way she made Christmas special for about 4,000 people in need every December.

Yet maybe the even deeper essence of the longtime director of the Crisis Office and the Christmas Store for Catholic Charities Indianapolis can be viewed in how she also gave her heart to the volunteers who helped her take care of vulnerable people.

“The volunteers were very loyal to her,” says Cheri Bush, a longtime friend of Davis and the development director for the archdiocese’s Catholic Charities. “There were countless people who have worked with her for years and years because you weren’t just a volunteer to her. You were part of the family.”

To illustrate that point, Bush shares the story of the bond between Davis and Connie Perry, a volunteer who worked by Davis’ side into her 90s.

“If Connie’s daughter couldn’t take her to a doctor’s appointment, Stephanie would. When Connie was sick, Stephanie was going up to the hospital. When Connie passed away during the [COVID-19] pandemic—when not many people were allowed to come together—Stephanie reached out to those of us who had met Connie and said, ‘Hey, you need to come to her funeral.’

“That’s a perfect example of how she went above and beyond to make sure that people felt seen and heard, that they knew that their presence was making a huge impact, that they knew they were valuable.”

As she shares that story, Bush becomes emotional thinking about her friend who died at the age of 56 on Nov. 22, 2023. She thought about the way the two of them planned a “Simple Soup and Bread Lunch” every Holy Thursday for years, as a fundraiser for the Crisis Office.

Now as Holy Thursday falls on March 28 this year, Bush is in the midst of planning that meal again, this time as a memorial tribute to Davis, who worked 20 years for Catholic Charities.

The lunch will be held at the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis, 1400 N. Meridian St., with doors opening at 11:30 a.m. and the program beginning at 11:45 a.m. All are invited, with the goal of raising $10,000 for the Crisis Office, which offers help to

low-income people in Marion County for food, clothing and limited rental assistance.

“It’s hard because she’s not here to plan it with me,” Bush says. “We’re going to have a video tribute to her. It’s really important to us to honor her legacy this year and invite more people to love on the poor and vulnerable like she did, because she really did love on them.”

Davis’ love for others was reflected in the way she led her team of volunteers at the Christmas Store, a place where people in need can shop—free of charge—for the items and gifts they want to give their children and other loved ones.

“She said we need to help people at Christmas, and we need to help them with gifts,” Bush says. “She worked hard to cultivate relationships with 85 different charities across the city to connect with the Christmas Store. It got to the point where we were serving 4,000 individuals every Christmas. It took a whole group of volunteers working round the calendar to do it. She had this amazing ability to rally people around an important cause.”

The results have gone beyond heartwarming. Some of the Christmas Store’s “customers” have arrived in wheelchairs and walkers. A woman once came for her scheduled time just two hours before she was being induced into labor. All in the hope of adding a touch of Christmas joy for their family that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

On the flip side, parishes, schools and individuals have consistently donated toys, household items and money through the years, with school children sending their folded, crunched-up dollar bills, quarters, dimes and nickels to the Christmas Store.

It all left its mark on Davis, who once said about the experience, “The favorite part for me is just knowing that families that are struggling day to day can have one special day together, and a child can get a special toy they would like to have. It’s nice to see the volunteers come in, help people and almost feel like Santa Claus in a way. And I get to be involved in the joy of 3,700 kids. It definitely puts a great spin on Christmas.”

Longtime volunteer Betty Kohls saw the impact that Davis—a mother of three grown children and eight grandchildren— also made upon the people who came to the Crisis Office year-round.

“She had a real interest in others, a willingness to listen,” Kohls says. “She particularly had a way of dealing with the younger women who would come in with an attitude. It just took a couple of minutes before they realized she really cared about them. They would open up to her. Frequently, they ended up in tears—tears of relief. There was the feeling, ‘I can do this. Somebody cares.’

“She took the extra step, which you don’t find very often anymore. She knew resources off the top of her head, and she was able to connect people with those resources. It was amazing.”

At the same time, Davis could be tough when needed, Bush says. If a client showed up intoxicated or became angry, she let them know they crossed a line and held them accountable.

“The clients respected that,” Bush says. “The clients have had a hard time with her death. There’s a lot of grief. They came to rely on her.”

That sense of loss extends to the co-workers and the volunteers who assisted her.

“Stephanie was a true servant leader in Catholic Charities and has been deeply missed by her colleagues and social service partners in the Indianapolis community,” says David Bethuram, executive director of the archdiocese’s Catholic Charities. “She always wanted and fought for what was best for the Crisis Office staff, volunteers and, most importantly, the clients.”

Kohls fondly recalls Davis’ joy, smile and laugh before she notes, “I just miss her like crazy. She was like my kid, and she called me, ‘Mom.’ She’s gone way too soon, way too soon. She had so much to give.”

Those emotions emphasize the impact of the love that Davis gave to people.

“I don’t want to make her sound like a saint, because people have a tendency to do that after someone dies,” Bush says. “I feel like we’re really called to love people at a very deep level. Christ gave his life. In some way, I felt Stephanie did too. She worked long and hard for people.

“I always felt I was Stephanie’s favorite person. If you talked to other people, you realized she could make everybody feel that way. Because she really cared, and she took the time.”
 

(Registration for the March 28 lunch is preferred by March 22, although walk-ins are welcome. To register, go to www.helpcreatehope.org. Those unable to attend the lunch who still want to make a donation can visit the website or write a check made payable to “Crisis Office” and mail it to Crisis Office, 1400 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis, IN 46202. Please note “luncheon” on the check.) †