What's Your Story with Jaime & Stan

What’s Your Story, Sepi Ackerman? Creating holiday magic by letting kids become the givers

Episode Summary

In this heartfelt and joy-filled holiday episode, Jaime and Stan sit down with Sepi Ackerman, nonprofit founder and community champion behind Holiday House SRQ — an organization transforming how children in Title I schools experience the holidays. What began as a simple school PTO project quickly became a powerful movement rooted in dignity, choice, and generosity. Sepi shares how Holiday House empowers children — many living at or below the poverty line — to shop for their own loved ones, free of charge, and experience the pride of being the giver. From sneaker drives and paid-off lunch debt to winter wonderlands built inside classrooms, this episode is a reminder that the most meaningful gifts aren’t things — they’re moments of being seen, valued, and believed in.

Episode Notes

In this heartfelt and joy-filled holiday episode, Jaime and Stan sit down with Sepi Ackerman, nonprofit founder and community champion behind Holiday House SRQ — an organization transforming how children in Title I schools experience the holidays.

What began as a simple school PTO project quickly became a powerful movement rooted in dignity, choice, and generosity. Sepi shares how Holiday House empowers children — many living at or below the poverty line — to shop for their own loved ones, free of charge, and experience the pride of being the giver.

From sneaker drives and paid-off lunch debt to winter wonderlands built inside classrooms, this episode is a reminder that the most meaningful gifts aren’t things — they’re moments of being seen, valued, and believed in.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

• Growing up with a family mantra of giving back
• Moving from Atlanta to Sarasota and building roots through schools
• The origin story of Holiday House — from PTO project to nonprofit
• Serving Title I schools and understanding unmet student needs
• Empowering children to shop for loved ones at no cost
• Why Holiday House focuses on experience over material value
• The logistics behind serving 2,500+ students across five schools
• Volunteer engagement and one-to-one student pairing
• Sneaker drives, uniform closets, and paying off school lunch debt
• Community partnerships with police, faith groups, and teens
• The emotional impact of making children feel seen and valued
• Scaling responsibly while keeping overhead low
• Redefining holiday giving through dignity, choice, and care
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MEMORABLE QUOTES

• “It’s not about the presents. It’s about investing time into the student.”
• “Holiday House is really the front door — behind it are deeper unmet needs.”
• “If we can make one child feel seen and valued, then it’s worth it.”
• “They get to be the giver — and that’s incredibly empowering.”
• “That smile when they walk into the room? That’s the fuel for next year.”
   

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Where to listen & watch:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/6aj0LamBVSA
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-your-story/id1768048076
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aFWnedfyylxVs5vJrD8tY
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c4c493e-e2f2-4b4b-bfd3-52174caeaf7c/whats-your-story-with-jaime-stan

Connect with Sepi Ackerman:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sepi-ackerman
Website: https://www.holidayhousesrq.org

If this episode helped you rethink what success looks like, subscribe, rate, and review our podcast! Your support helps us share more powerful stories like Sepi’s.

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