Meet the Women Leading the Way at Local Nonprofits

When Vero Beach Magazine was founded 29 years ago, one of the editorial goals was to shine a light on the work nonprofit organizations were doing to better our community. Back then there were around 75. Over the years the number has grown, thanks to individuals who identified a need and were determined to do something about it.

Among them are three women—Hannah Hite, Angel Pietsch, and Shala Edwards—all of whom have a heart for improving the lives of disadvantaged children, which they do by funding after-school and summer programs for those less fortunate, spreading birthday joy one homeless child at a time, and elevating educational opportunities for girls. Here are their stories.

Hannah Hite

Homeless Children’s Foundation: Providing Sensible Solutions for Homeless Families

t’s hard to believe there are homeless children in our community. At last count, the School District of Indian River County had 155 names on a list, and that doesn’t include children outside the public school system: those who attend a private school, are homeschooled, or have simply fallen through the cracks and are not on anybody’s list.

“People are shocked to know that in a community like ours there are homeless families with kids at risk,” says Hannah Hite, executive director of the Homeless Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed 10 years ago to fund and coordinate programs that support the healthy development and long-term success of homeless children while guiding their families to self-sufficiency.

“We found that for most children, when school is out in May, it’s vacation time. Fun time. For homeless families it’s different—school is where they get their childcare. For 10 months they work like mad to get ahead financially so they can pay for their children to be cared for in the summer. It’s a domino effect. They never get ahead financially; they never make any progress,” Hite points out.

“We also found that homeless children weren’t receiving funding to go to summer camp,” she says, “so we partnered with over 20 local camps that accept them into their programs. We coordinate everything from registration to transportation, and we fund 100 percent of the cost. We also encourage people to sponsor a child for one week of our summer program. If they don’t have the financial ability, then we say, ‘Give us your time, volunteer to help.’”

During the school year, HCF provides funding so homeless children can participate in after-school academic and sports programs. Hite has a folder filled to overflowing with handwritten thank-you notes—“Thank you for giving me the best summer of my life!”

She also had a personal experience while riding the summer school bus seated next to a young camper named Carson. “He and his mom had become homeless, and she couldn’t work if her son couldn’t go to summer camp. She didn’t have the money for the tuition, so HCF coordinated and funded 10 weeks of programs for him. “I remember Carson saying his favorite motto was ‘There’s light in the darkness,’ and that getting to go to camp was his light in the darkness.”

“My mom encouraged me from a young age to lead with my heart,” Hite says. “I went to Florida State University and got my degree in family and child sciences, so I know the dynamic of how families work and how they can look across the spectrum. I was born and raised in Vero Beach, returned, and I’m now raising my own children here.

“I feel very strongly that every child deserves a childhood. Our program gives them a sense of normalcy, a look at what the future may look like.”

Angel Pietsch

Little Birthday Angels: Bringing Birthday Joy to Homeless Children

Eleven years ago, Angel Pietsch heard that a local homeless shelter lacked the extra money needed to celebrate a little girl’s birthday. Realizing there were probably other children out there whose special day could be going by unnoticed, she decided to do something about it. Along with her husband, Brian, and their two sons, Hunter and Seth, she formed the Christian nonprofit Little Birthday Angels, its main mission being to distribute “birthday bags of hope” to homeless children on the Treasure Coast.

Tucked inside each bag are a lap desk; seven pairs of socks, one for each day of the week; toiletries; a water bottle; a blanket; a Bible; a pair of shoes; and other essential items sure to prompt smiles, especially when wrapped in colorful paper and delivered with a handmade birthday card along with a cupcake topped with a candle.

“Every homeless child deserves to feel special on their day; it’s a gift from God that needs to be celebrated,” says Pietsch, whose mission to spread birthday joy to those less fortunate quickly drew others eager to help.

Heather Burns, the nonprofit’s program director, is one of them. “I started as a volunteer because I believed in what Angel was doing. We work with different homeless shelters; we also connect with school district homeless advocates and school counselors, who provide us with the child’s name, date of birth, gender, and a wish list, including their shoe size.”

“Everything is paid for through fund-raisers like our Battle of the Realtors, held in October,” Burns explains; “and in November, which is Homeless Children’s Month, we put out 30 wish trees. We also have some amazing individual donors, small businesses and service clubs like Rotary support our efforts, and we receive in-kind donations—things like wrapping paper and water bottles.”

“The birthday bags are distributed through the school counselor’s office. Last year we gave out 1,500 bags, and with the addition of SafeSpace to our list of partner agencies, we expect that number will be over 1,700 this year. We’re growing by leaps and bounds. There’s a real need out there.”

To respond to that need, Little Birthday Angels partners with other Treasure Coast nonprofit agencies, among them the Homeless Children’s Foundation, Samaritan Center, and Hibiscus Children’s Center.

Last year, Little Birthday Angels opened a workshop, its floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with items for volunteers to select from when it comes time to fill the bags. When they’re full and closed tight, each one is prayed over.

“We put the word ‘hope’ with the name because that’s what it does,” says Pietsch, “it gives hope to the child who receives it!”

Shala Edwards

Treasure Coast Girls Coalition: Providing Educational Opportunities

For years, Shala Edwards had wanted to put a program in place that would empower girls aged 9 to 18 to be the best they could be by providing educational opportunities focused on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). The girls would come from economically disadvantaged communities, attend Title 1 schools, and live at or below 200 percent of the poverty threshold. After working in the nonprofit community for over a dozen years, she was ready to give it a go.

“I wanted a program I needed when I was growing up poor and living in Gifford,” says Edwards, founder and executive director of the Treasure Coast Girls Coalition, a nonprofit organization formed in 2021.

“It was right in the middle of the pandemic, when there was an academic decline. I filed the paperwork in April, and we did a pilot program over the summer at Gifford Middle School. It worked out so well that the principal asked if I was interested in doing more. I was. It was the right time; the community was waiting for us.

“We didn’t have any money—oh, my husband wrote me a small check, and a few others did the same; it was basically boots on the ground, being out there meeting people, spreading the word about what we were doing and asking for donations,” Edwards smiles as she recalls what it was like.

In 2023, the grassroots nonprofit with a huge heart in need of serious financial funding got what Edwards calls a “big break.” She explains, “A lady who was ill and starting to get her affairs in order went to the Indian River Community Foundation, explained her situation, and said she wanted to help some local nonprofits. TCGC was one that was discussed. A few weeks later she passed away, and I was told we were one of the beneficiaries. I met her family at the memorial service and thanked them. Because of her generosity we were able to hire staff and provide additional programs.”

One of those hires was Raquel Wright, who has known Edwards since she was a tiny toddler tagging along after her mother, Verna Wright, who founded the Dasie Bridgewater Hope Center in Wabasso.

“I’m a teacher, and Shala’s thinking is right in alignment with what I believe,” says Wright. “Her passion and what she’s done in four years is totally amazing.”

In 2024, TCGC opened a new headquarters in Sebastian and expanded programming that includes after-school STEAM classes; a four-week summer STEAM camp; and workshops that teach technological skills needed to navigate today’s digital world, EQ (emotional intelligence), culinary arts, and financial knowledge.

“We work with girls of color, Hispanics, some of the most under-represented individuals in those fields. It’s our hope that they’ll connect with one of the career pathways, dive in, have fun, and develop confidence and leadership qualities,” says Edwards.

“We may be small, but we’re mighty, with a clear vision to make sure that every girl has access to opportunity, structure, and the tools necessary to achieve academic and personal success.”

The Homeless Children’s Foundation, Little Birthday Angels, and Treasure Coast Girls Coalition are making a positive impact on our community, and it all began with three ladies who saw needs and set about doing what they could to fill them.