 At Stormcells, play is at the heart of how we think and create.
We believe that play isn’t just for fun—it’s also essential to human development. It boosts mental health, sparks creativity, and enhances learning. For children especially, play is vital. It helps their brains grow, encourages imagination, and supports emotional well-being. But not every child gets the chance to play. Many children face the harsh reality that toys and books are luxuries their families can’t afford. These children are often asked, by circumstance, to grow up too soon. That’s why, for years, Stormcells has proudly served and partnered with the Head Start program, donating stuffed animals and books to children in need. Our goal? To bring a little magic into their lives. To a child, a stuffed dragon isn’t just a toy—it’s the guardian of an enchanted forest or a companion on brave adventures. When paired with a storybook, that toy becomes part of a vivid, magical world. It’s a spark that lights up creativity, joy, and wonder. By giving these simple gifts, we hope to remind children that they deserve play, imagination, and the freedom to be young. And in doing so, we’re also nurturing a future generation that understands the value of creativity—something the world will always need more of. After all, we could all use a little more wonder in our lives. If you would like to learn more about Head Start or your local programs visit: National Head Start Program: https://headstart.gov/ NKY Community Action Commission, Head Start Program: https://nkcac.org/services/childrens-services/head-start/ - El Hopper, Stormcells Content & Outreach Associate
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 As Stormcells celebrates ten incredible years, we’re filled with gratitude for the journey so far—and excitement for what lies ahead. In our last blog post, we reflected on where we’ve been. Now, it’s time to share where we're going.
A Fresh Look for a Bright Future We’ve undergone a full brand refresh to modernize our identity and better connect with a broader, more diverse audience. Alongside our updated visual branding, we’ve redesigned our website to reflect who Stormcells is today—showcasing our expanded services, new approaches to problem-solving, and continued commitment to serving our clients. Expanded Services to Meet Evolving Needs In response to client demand and emerging industry trends, we’ve grown our services by partnering with a diverse network of skilled professionals who offer their expertise directly to the organizations we serve. They do this at a fraction of the usual cost because they share our values and believe in the mission-driven work Stormcells supports in the community. Some of our consulting services include:
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These additions allow us to serve a wider range of organizations and professionals while staying true to our mission. Staying True to Our Purpose At the heart of everything we do is a simple goal: to serve those who serve. We remain dedicated to delivering excellent, impactful service to our clients, and we’re eager to expand our reach to new communities and industries. Thank you for standing by us over the past decade. Your support has made this journey possible—and we can’t wait to see what the next ten years will bring. Here’s to the future of Stormcells! - El Hopper  Stormcells, Inc. has officially been around for 10 years! We are so grateful for the opportunities we have been given to collaborate with local organizations and provide aid to the community. In the past ten years, Stormcells has grown tremendously. We started out as just an idea, and have now had the chance to grow into an organization that we believe has been beneficial to many. Whether it be fundraising, event management, or administrative assistance, Stormcells puts our all into our work. Let’s take a look at just a few things Stormcells has done over the past ten years.
One accomplishment we are quite proud of is the Women’s Think Tank. Stormcells was able to bring together groups of amazing women throughout the NKY area to use their creative problem-solving skills in aid of local organizations. We had 4 years of excellent ideas from 36 women, who brought professional skills from marketing, to accounting, to Human Resources, libraries, and more. Some of the projects from the Women’s Think Tank included challenges from Master Provisions, Go Pantry, Reset Ministries, Little Orphan Kitten Rescue, and Family Nurturing Center. In addition to the Women’s Think Tank, Stormcells ran the Teen Tank for two years. This was a fun way for middle and high school students to help locally, learn leadership and creativity skills, and earn volunteer hours for school. Teens helped local charities by thinking through real-world challenges and participating in hands-on activities. One project completed by the Teen Tank was a tie-dye booth at Chelsea Ryann’s Festival of Hope. The Teen Tank also put together boxes of donations to give to Go Pantry. We would also like to reflect on the Feathers® events that Stormcells has hosted over the years. Feathers® is a putting-only game played on a traditional golf course. Because a golf cart is used to travel from green to green, almost anyone can play and win. Stormcells partners with nonprofits to offer the game for fundraising, awareness, and staff appreciation. We have been lucky enough to use our Feathers® events to support several local and national organizations, including PJA Junior Golf League, Disabled American Veterans, Operation Christmas Child, First Tee Pine Mountain, and FND Hope. We are very grateful to everyone who has donated and contributed to the growth of Stormcells, Inc. We look forward to working with the community even more as we grow. Over the next weeks, we will be providing a peek into our plans for the future, so stay tuned! - El Hopper, Content & Outreach Associate  Hey, everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve written a post for Stormcells, so I’d like to start fresh with a recap on who I am, as well as what the organization is all about.
To start, my name is El Hopper and I’m a psychology major and anthropology minor at Northern Kentucky University. I’m passionate about learning, helping others, advocating for those in need, and spreading kindness and positivity around the globe. I have volunteered with Stormcells since I was small, so I have watched the organization grow and hope to continue to help it thrive. Stormcells is a registered 501c3 public charity that uses creative problem solving to provide services in support of other charities in need. Basically, we’re here to help others, help others! Our main focus is on local organizations that we feel a strong connection to, in terms of values. We also heavily emphasize play and the importance it has in our everyday lives, no matter the age or ability! We are eager to partner with other organizations in assisting our community and helping those in need, and will always say yes to lending a hand (if our circumstances allow). There are many ways to get involved in Stormcells, from volunteering to donating, and even partnering as another charity! We appreciate all of the help we have been given in assisting our previous partners, and are always happy to welcome new allies. To get involved, visit us at our website, https://www.stormcells.org. I’m excited to connect with you all more as we work to serve the Greater Cincinnati area. El Hopper Instagram- @el_hopps05 Email - [email protected]  The holidays are approaching quickly, and there’s much to do! For those who still have presents to wrap, decorations to don, and cookies to bake, the time crunch can lead to an impending sense of doom. It can feel overwhelming having so many things to do and people to see.
Your body and mind need time to rest. It’s important to keep your health in mind; yes, even over the holidays! So, I recommend using the holidays as a time to rejuvenate before getting back to the boring routine of everyday life.
Whatever it is you like to do, take a moment to enjoy it, and be mindful while you’re doing it. However, it’s also important to rest and take time for yourself. If you have a hard time being around the chaos of family celebrations, find a quiet corner to isolate for a minute, put on those headphones, and listen to your favorite artist. Remember, your health and happiness is the best gift you could give or receive. I wish everyone a happy, holistic holiday! -Mollie Hopper, Stormcells Intern  Delivering stuffed animals with matching books to one of our own community preschools—Collins—was especially thrilling this past month. The Preschool teachers worked diligently to get their new facility bright, colorful, safe, and inviting for their children on September 28th. As the bags of plush lions and puppies entered their classrooms, their eyes brightened and big smiles appeared.
This year, when the children arrive, they will be greeted not only by the teachers and staff but a matching plush animal and book of their very own. Each of the teachers providing on-site learning will present their children with one of the following: A Plush Beekle UnImaginary Friend with book; a Lion Cub with a book containing three stories from the Little Golden Book Collection--How Do Lions Say I Love You, How Do Penguins Play and How Do Giraffes Take Naps; or a Plush Poky puppy with a book containing The Poky Little Puppy, The Shy Little Kitten, and the Saggy Baggy Elephant--a total of 143 plush animals and books. The above gifts, which have become an ongoing charitable program within Stormcells, have become a favorite with teachers, parents, grandparents, and the children throughout Kentucky preschools Moreover, the gifts, purchased at a discount through the Kohl’s Cares Program, provides not only the immediate joy for the children involved but the cost of the items goes forward through Kohls to support other charities for children—thus making the purchases twice blessed. Watching the teachers accept the gifts was so heartwarming. As they hugged and played with the cubs and puppies, we realized that on our next trip, we will need to take extras for the faculty and staff—they deserve that and far more as they serve the precious children within our communities. Roy and Dorothy Miller Stormcells Team  The Stormcells team enjoyed two long-awaited visits to one of our favorite charities--Head Start.
 Our Stormcells Team returned to Eastern Kentucky for the first on-site visit to the Owsley County Head Start Program. Loaded in the back of our SUV were school supplies (crayons, pencils, paper) but, by special request, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Given our own passion to bring smiles to children, there were also stuffed animals for loving and books for taking home to “read” to their families.
The Owsley Head Start program has 90 three and four-year old children; however, we also learned they have Early Head Start with approximately 50 children—three months to up to three years. On-site classes are scheduled to resume in September; meanwhile, in-home and online programs are fully operational and all staff have returned to work. Owsley, one of Kentucky’s smallest counties, has limited community resources so any outside help is highly valued and greatly appreciated. The teachers stress their greatest need is for age-level books that the children can take home as their own—these books become their cherished treasure. At Stormcells, we believe the power of children’s picture books can open new worlds of thought and change the future of a child, the community, the state, and the nation—one small county—one small child—at a time! To learn more about Head Start, you can visit their website at https://headstartky.org/about/ If you would like to learn more about how Stormcells supports the Head Start programs of Kentucky, or if you would like to donate any items, please contact Amanda at [email protected].  The world today is nothing that we have seen before. Companies are navigating the uncertainty and ambiguity with the future of work and the future of their company. In the pursuit of solutions to this new way of working and to help leaders move their organizations forward, the design thinking process can be an incredibly useful tool. Jodi Brandstetter and Amanda Hopper will present a free, interactive webinar on Tuesday, July 7th. This webinar will help participants:
In this webinar, hosted by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, groups will explore design thinking methods including questioning, brainstorming and prototyping. Jodi and Amanda will utilize breakout rooms to facilitate discussion and polling to help find solutions. Participants will apply the methods learned to real-world scenarios that organizations are facing right now. Finally, Jodi and Amanda will provide practical resources that participants can use in their personal and professional lives. This webinar is for anyone looking for new ways to improve their personal and company processes. This can help people who are in career transition or simply desire new tools for making business decisions. The two presenters, Jodi and Amanda, have diverse perspectives on the design thinking method. Jodi, the chief Talent Strategist for Lean Effective Talent Strategies provides over 17 years in talent acquisition. She has knowledge in both developing a strong recruitment strategy and building relationships with leadership to ensure the hiring process is compliant with laws and regulations. Amanda, founder and director of Stormcells Incorporated, is a librarian by trade but recently left the library sector to work full-time with Stormcells. Stormcells is a nonprofit organization with the mission of supporting nonprofits and small businesses through creative problem solving. When asking Amanda and Jodi why they utilize design thinking, they said: “Design Thinking gives us a way to find out of the box or creative solutions to today’s challenges. I love using this method to bring teams together to develop products, services and experiences that are human focused and provide a return on investment for their company” - Jodi Brandstetter. “Human-Centered Design, and Design Thinking, are ways to put empathy into action. I love placing people at the center of the equation and finding creative ways to help them solve problems!” - Amanda Hopper. This short webinar will be fun, engaging, and thought-provoking. It also fulfills SHRM and HRCI Credits! Please register through the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce website. https://northernkentuckykycoc.wliinc14.com/events/Introduction-to-Design-Thinking-Rethinking-How-Your-Organization-Finds-Solutions-3505/details We hope to see you there.  “Children are our most valuable resource.” — Herbert Hoover
For a number of years, the Stormcells founding members assisted children from several Northern Kentucky elementary schools through the local Family Resource Centers. While supporting these children, our group discovered the additional needs of children ages three and four in the Head Start programs. The appeal and potential of these children made it simply impossible to resist reaching out to them, as well as the staff who serve them and their families. Head Start programs promote school readiness of children ages birth to five from low-income families by supporting the development of the whole child. (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs) The staff and programs provide not only school readiness, but they also nurture the special needs of those children most vulnerable within our communities. Stormcells, a charitable organization founded to serve those who serve the needs of their community, have found it an honor to help supply these children with some of the basic necessities—as well as some delightful pleasures. For years, our members have especially enjoyed giving gifts of picture books and stuffed animals to each child with various programs, including Head Start programs, of Boone, Kenton, Campbell, and Pendleton counties. Beginning in 2019, members expanded our tradition by taking books, stuffed animals, underwear, and socks into more rural counties of Easter Kentucky. They traveled to Breathitt, Lee, and Wolfe Counties. The genuine appreciation and heartfelt thankfulness of these centers were utterly overwhelming. The staff and children appreciated all the essential items, and the children were delighted to receive the books and stuffed animals. Perhaps more appreciated than these tangible items, however, was the gift of caring. As schools reopen, Stormcells members will provide help to at least three more county head starts by the year’s end. At times, it appears these children are “the least of these” and the last served within our communities. Yet, they inherently hold such great promise for the future of their communities. Stormcells members believe every child is the single most previous treasure a community is given. Therefore, our goal is to plan, seek opportunities, and support every single Head Start program in all 120 counties of our state. Having reached over ten counties, there are only 110 to go!! --Drs. Roy & Dorothy Miller, Stormcells Founding Members |
Amanda HopperFounder, Director of Stormcells Archives
September 2025
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About UsStormcells offers creative problem-solving for charities and small businesses. We support organizations by offering services at a fraction of the usual cost, and we donate our time and talents to causes we care about.
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