Stacey’s Closet formally opened at Rochester Middle School at the end of 2023. It’s in honor of late Rochester Community School Board member Stacey Carvey-Schoenhals. Through it, any RCS students may get free clothes, hygiene products and more. Shown in the closet are RMS staffer Deanna VandenBossche; Carvey-Schoenhals’ husband, Lukas Schoenhals, who serves as RMS principal; and RMS staffer Valerie Good. VandenBossche and Good oversee the closet.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

ROCHESTER — Stacey Carvey-Schoenhals was “always giving to kids,” said her husband, Lukas Schoenhals.

Though the couple didn’t have children of their own, Carvey-Schoenhals, who served on the Rochester Community School Board, considered RCS students her kids, said Schoenhals.

Now, almost a year after her passing in January 2023, Carvey-Schoenhals is memorialized through a resource at Rochester Middle School providing items to help RCS students.

Stacey’s Closet formally opened in a room off the cafeteria at RMS in late 2023.

It includes clothing, shoes, hygiene items and school supplies free to any RCS students. The closet is open any time school is in session.

Schoenhals, RMS assistant principal, said Carvey-Schoenhals was aware of a similar closet at Caston School Corp. and wanted to bring it to RCS.

He said the idea for the closet was also spurred by RMS’ annual etiquette luncheon when students dress up and practice their manners.

“Stacey (would) run to Walmart and buy whatever (dress clothes) kids needed, and that’s kind of where this came out of,” said Schoenhals.

Following Carvey-Schoenhals’ passing, Schoenhals with his mother-in-law Gloria Carvey, sister-in-law Lisa Reffett, Rochester Middle School Principal Cassie Murphy, RMS fifth grade teacher Rebecca Bolinger and others gathered together to create a scholarship in memory of Carvey-Schoenhals.

Schoenhals noted to start a scholarship fund through the Fulton County Community Foundation “it takes $28,000.”

He said via a summer 2023 fundraiser at the Manitou Moose Lodge 1107 in Rochester “way more than that” was raised, with Carvey-Schoenhals’ family creating the Stacey Carvey-Schoenhals Foundation to utilize the extra money beyond the scholarship.

Stacey’s Closet is one of the foundation’s products.

“The foundation infused about $8,000, $9,000 in here and that was to get all of the things that you see, all of the hygiene products and all the stuff like that,” said Schoenhals.

The Stacey Carvey-Schoenhals Foundation is also funding “an entire year’s worth of free movies for kiddos” at the Times Theater in Rochester and meals for Rochester Community High School sports teams, said Schoenhals.

Stacey’s Closet is overseen by RMS staffers, Valerie Good and Deanna VandenBossche.

People are welcome to call the school and talk with Good or VandenBossche to learn what may be donated for the closet, said Schoenhals. Financial donations may be made to the foundation in general by sending checks to RMS or reaching out through the Stacey Carvey-Schoenhals Foundation Facebook page.

The closet visually reflects Carvey-Schoenhals through a sign outside it featuring a fairy-tale theme as she “loved Disney,” said Schoenhals. A sign inside the closet bears her name, the Rochester logo, and her graduation year from Rochester.

Schoenhals reiterated the closet’s mission of helping kids in need reflects his wife as well.

“It didn’t matter who or what was going on, it’s that rooting for that underdog and always having a giving heart,” said Schoenhals of Carvey-Schoenhals.

A sign outside the closet reflects Carvey-Schoenhals as it bears a fairy-tale theme. Carvey-Schoenhals “loved Disney,” said Schoenhals.

A look inside the closet.

There are plenty of hygiene products available in the closet.