Stacy Brabant is one of those volunteers who does so much behind the scenes – out of the limelight – you wouldn’t know what to do if they ever stepped away.

Downey is fortunate Stacy has never stepped away.

Born and raised in Lakewood, Stacy found her way to Downey after marrying her husband, Don, in 1989. Together they raised five children: Garrett, Kate, Drew, Chandler and Emery.

Stacy wasn’t one to sit on the sidelines. She became a team parent for Northwest Downey Little League and the AYSO. Her kids attended Rio Hondo Elementary, Griffiths Middle School and Warren High School, and Stacy was quick to join the PTA.

From 1990 to 2007, Stacy held several positions in PTA, including carnival chairperson and later president.

She’d go on to serve as director of the PTA HELPS food bank for seven years. This often meant loading her SUV with groceries, preparing Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets, and coordinating with schools for their holiday food drives. There was also the less glamorous part of the job, which was preparing all the paperwork involved with serving the food bank’s clients.

Stacy belonged to the San Antonio Guild of Children’s Hospital for 22 years, holding the office of president for many years. One of the group’s most prominent fundraisers was their holiday home tours in Downey, which Stacy helped organize.

Since 1994, Stacy has belonged to the Assistance League of Downey, an organization Stacy remains active with today. She is the advisor to the ASSISTEENS, the Assistance League’s youth auxiliary for high school girls. The group does lots of volunteer work in the Downey community, including giving away gowns and tuxedoes during prom and winter formal season to students who otherwise couldn’t afford to dress up.

Stacy is past chairman of the Gypsy Johnson Auxiliary and is currently its buildings and properties chairman and in charge of Downey’s historical landmark Casa de Parley Johnson. You can also find Stacy volunteering at the Second Tyme Around Thrift Shop in downtown Downey.

Believe it or not, Stacy still has spare time, which she spends working out, crocheting, and spending time with family in Lake Havasu. She’s also a dedicated grandma to Jaxson, age 3.

Stacy is a talented mixed multi-media artist as well, having created specially commissioned collages and mosaics. If you’re a patient of Dr. Alan Frischer, one of her art pieces is located in his office, next to the scale.

Stacy has been the recipient of numerous awards over the years, including the Sally McFarland Volunteer Award, an Honorary Service Award, Continuing Service Award, Golden Oak, and Volunteer of the Year in the area of Parent/Community Relations.

In 2008, the Downey Unified School District chose two women as their Volunteers of the Year. The first recipient was Stacy and the other was the legendary Dr. Mary Stauffer.

“She is the epitome of service with a smile,” Dr. Wendy Doty, superintendent of Downey Unified at the time, said in presenting the award. “There is no one more deserving of this honor than Stacy.”

The following year, State Sen. Alan Lowenthal chose Stacy as a Woman of the Year for the 27th Senate District, an area that encompassed Downey and all the way south to Long Beach and Hawaiian Gardens.

“I enjoy it immensely,” Stacy says about volunteering. “I have a blast with my friends.”

Stacy Brabant began volunteering in 1990 and never stopped