SOCI Donor Spotlight: Dori Stayton — Helping Every Family Have a Big Life
At Systems of Care Initiative (SOCI), we are continually inspired by individuals who not only believe in this work but live it. Dori Stayton is one of those people.
A monthly donor since November 2024, Dori is a corporate banker, devoted spouse, and mom of two boys. She also lives by a simple but powerful philosophy: have a big life. For Dori, that means using what you have to help others thrive.
“SOCI’s mission resonated with me immediately,” she says. “As a working mother, I was living it every day. It felt like I was paying college tuition every month for childcare, and I acknowledge this is not an accessible option for all families. When I learned about SOCI, I saw a real solution and an organization truly working to bridge that gap.”
That gap is one Dori knows well. Like so many parents, she has navigated the challenge of balancing work and family in a system where access to high-quality early childhood education is often limited by cost and availability. “Talk to any family, and the question is the same: how am I going to get back to work without childcare?” she says. “I know I am a better mom, a better wife, and a better human because I’m able to work. I want that for everyone who wants it.”
Her commitment to giving is deeply rooted. As the daughter of a pastor, she was raised to see everything as a gift meant to be shared. “We rise by lifting others,” Dori says. “If I want to live a big life, it’s not about me.”
That philosophy guides not only why she gives, but how she gives as a monthly donor.
“Anything in my life that I can set and forget is golden,” she says. “I know my gift is showing up every month, and SOCI can depend on that. I also love knowing that my gift helps fund a child’s scholarship—and that, when a few others join in, we can fully support a child together. That’s powerful.”
For Dori, monthly giving is a simple way to live out her values in a steady, meaningful way. “I can’t solve all of the world’s problems,” she says. “But early childhood development is deeply important to me. I trust SOCI to be my hands and to do the work I can’t do every day to make a real difference for children and working families.”
SOCI Executive Director, Dr. Janice S. Smith, sees that impact clearly. “Dori embodies what it means to invest in community,” says Dr. Smith. “Her generosity is consistent, intentional, and deeply meaningful. She understands the power of early education, and her commitment helps make that transformation possible every day.”
Outside of work and philanthropy, Dori continues to live her “big life”—through yoga teacher training, tending to her family’s beehives, and raising two very energetic boys. “If I can be on the mat for an hour, it’s my best day,” she says. “It fills my cup.”
And it is from that full cup that she gives with purpose.
For others considering getting involved with SOCI, Dori’s message is simple and direct: “What are you waiting for? Maybe you’ve been contemplating it, and the time is now. The need is here. The waitlists for early childhood education are long. A little bit goes a long way. Whatever amount you can give, work it into your monthly budget, set it, and forget it!”
Through Dori’s generosity, more children, more working families, and more futures in Kansas City are being given the chance to live a big life, too.
Join Dori in supporting early childhood education scholarships for families in need by becoming a monthly donor and helping ensure that every child and every working family in our community has access to the opportunities they deserve.
Imagine if every child entered school ready to thrive—not just survive. That’s not a dream. It’s a blueprint—and it’s already working.
Let’s keep moving the needle, together.