Carol Stitt never set out to be recognized for her work on behalf of children, she simply aimed to do what was right and right what was wrong.
Stitt, 68, a pioneer for foster child advocacy in Nebraska, died on Nov. 9.
A strong sense of justice and concern for others, as her family and friends describe, was held by Stitt even on her last days.Â
Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2018, Stitt had been living in hospice care at the time of her death.Â
"Even at her most vulnerable time, her biggest concern was others," Elizabeth Gajardo-Stitt, Carol's eldest daughter, said this week.Â
"She was most worried about her brother's doctor appointment, her friend's health and how her friends' families were doing."
Born in Scottsbluff, Stitt was the fourth child of Everett and Elizabeth Stitt. She grew up on a farm near Minatare and attended Minatare High School, where one teacher remembered her as a fighter for the underdog.
Her desire to make the world better for others motivated her to pursue a higher education.Â
As a first-generation college student, Stitt worked several jobs to support herself through college. She earned degrees in social work from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.Â
At just 28 years old, she was selected as the executive director of the Foster Care Review Board, created by the Legislature as an independent state agency.
The board's mission was to watch over the safety, quality of placements and service providers for the state's more than 4,000 foster children. It oversaw 350 volunteers on 48 local foster care review boards.
In an effort to improve outcomes, Stitt developed the nation's first statewide independent tracking system of children in foster care.Â
In 2003, that tracking revealed 10 violent child deaths in Nebraska. At least six of those children were linked to cases previously reported to the state’s Child Protective Services or law enforcement. That revelation spurred then-Gov. Mike Johanns to appoint a task force to recommend changes to the state's child welfare system.
But the Foster Care Review Board was dogged by controversy during Stitt's tenure involving alleged conflicts of interest and politics. That came to a head in 2012, when Stitt was fired. The Legislature later dissolved the board and moved the work under its own purview.
But Stitt continued her work on behalf of children. A training program she designed for judges, county attorneys and children's attorneys on how to manage child sexual abuse cases in the courtroom is still a national model.
Stitt set the gold standard for what it meant to advocate and protect kids in foster care, said Lynn Rex, executive director of the League of Nebraska Municipalities.
"Everyone who works to protect the interest of foster children now and in the future do so standing on the shoulders of Carol Stitt," Rex said.
Earlier this year, Gov. Pete Ricketts celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Foster Care Review Office, formerly known as the Foster Care Review Board, recognizing the work of Stitt and other advocates of foster children.
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And she racked up a multitude of awards over her career advocating for children, including Nebraska Chief Justice Child Advocacy Award, co-recipient of National Association of School Psychologists Outstanding Advocate Award and Meritorious Service to Children in America Award.
said in addition to her advocacy for children, she'd be remembered for her quick wit, kindness and the best mashed potatoes.
A passion for social justice was one she shared with her late husband, Joel Gajardo.
Stitt met Gajardo in 1981 when he was in Lincoln giving a lecture on global and social justice in Latin America, and the two married in 1987. They had two daughters, Elizabeth and Katie.
Stitt regularly expressed to her daughters that education and the person you chose to marry were some of the most important things that would dictate their lives.Â
As social justice advocates, Stitt and Gajardo wanted to expose their daughters to real world issues. Their family would regularly volunteer at The Gathering Place, and on holidays, they'd deliver mums to friends.
And she exposed her daughters to the work she did on behalf of children by bringing them to work with her.
"She wanted us there. She wanted us to see what she was doing in the world and how we could contribute to world change," Stitt-Gajardo said.
Although her work was her life's passion, she was also very intentional about spending times with those she cared about, Gajardo-Stitt said.
"No matter what she was going through at work, what she was advocating for, she always made Katie and I her priority at all times."
When her daughters were younger, she ensured that the amount of hours they spent at a child care center was the exact amount of hours she'd spend with them at the park, club volleyball or volunteering.Â
Stitt was an advocate for children in and out of the office.Â
When her youngest daughter Katie was in high school, Stitt learned that Katie's friend wasn't able to afford lunches and she enrolled them in the backpack program. In the meantime, she would send Katie to school with an extra lunch for her friend.
That lesson was one her mother instilled in her daughters throughout her life, Stitt-Gajardo said. That they too could change the world one act of kindness at a time.Â
A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Southern Heights Presbyterian Church, 5750 S. 40th St. Those who attend are asked to wear cheerful colors to celebrate the joy of Stitt's life.