Meet Stacie Martin | Founder/Director of Single Parent Advocate and CEO at Free Martin Marketing and Media

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stacie Martin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I founded Single Parent Advocate on the same day as I founded my advertising agency, Free Martin Marketing. It was in 2009 after being laid off from a corporate media position I had held for many years. I was a single mother and the economic contraction at the time yielded few opportunities for me to secure re-employment.

Although I made efforts to find support from the suitable system of aid in my area while job seeking, I was turned away due to the fact that I had earned “too much” already year to date despite the pensive outlook on road ahead for me and others. That part of my experience drove me to create a community where families like mine could qualify for support, and also to build a bridge for others to provide that support.

It has now been 15 years and Single Parent Advocate has grown, and is still growing. I am very honored that my story and time of struggle turned into something better for me, and for many like me and my family as well. We are so very grateful for those who allow us in their lives, and for those who make that possible.

What should our readers know about your business?
Single Parent Advocate supports families on a nomination basis in collaboration with schools, churches, other non-profit organizations, and business associations. I am most proud and excited when we are given the chance to support an employee, fellow church member, or family from an area school. Additionally, I am excited about how we have been able to network and find resources, and educate about those resources for families who otherwise would fall into a gap with nowhere to go.

I am very grateful that we have supporters who come alongside to join in and do the same. It has not been easy and I/we get over challenges by sticking to our core values and working as a team to move forward.

I have learned SO many lessons along the way as it relates to non-profit management. The most significant is that you have to remember that even though this is a work of heart and passion – it is a business – just like my ad agency. Keeping good records, honoring privacy of constituents, and never being afraid to tell your story are among the many AHA moments I have experienced.

Single Parent Advocate exists to assist anyone raising a child alone. That stems from my life as a single mother. I am grateful for all of the personal support I have been afforded by family, friends, and fellow servant leaders. It is because of this community I was able to turn my loss into love, my worry into work, and my sorrow into something much better.

Our tagline is “True Hope. Real Help.” We want to provide tangible relief alongside empowerment and education to help parents and children have a community where they fit in, and also to provide a stronger trajectory for their futures with the confidence they build and the encouragement/acceptance they come to know as a result of our very intentional relationships, care, and efforts.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am native to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, and there are SO many places that I love. Among them are the Dallas Arboretum and World Aquarium. Museums like The Nasher , Dallas Museum of Art, The Kimball, and Fair Park.

I love seeing Musicals and Operas at the AT&T Performing Arts Center and the Winspear as well as Dallas Summer Musicals.

For food – we have SO many wonderful restaurants! If I only had 1 week – I would take them to Reunion Tower, Al Biernat’s and the Mansion if I could afford to do so. However, Bishop Arts District, the Legacy area in Plano and all the adventures in Frisco near the Star, Grandscape, as well as the stadiums for the Rangers and the Cowboys in Arlington would also be on my list alongside the Mav’s and Stars at the American Airlines Center would be on my checklist too.

Fun/Interesting/Exciting can be found all around town on any given day. That is what I love about our great city and community.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been mentored and supported by so many individuals, partners, volunteers, peers, and friends since Day 1!! Specifically, Success North Dallas and The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation DFW,

Single Parent Advocate is so grateful for the support of our Board of Directors, Steering Committee Members, and Advisory Board. You can see them here: https://singleparentadvocate.org/about-us/leadership-team/

Additionally, donor and partners like Chick Fil A at Park and Plano, Huffines Automotive Dealerships, Expo Home Improvement, Gateway Church, the Lewisville Chamber of Commerce, as well as Dallas Children’s Charities and Life Time Fitness of Flower Mound and the Highland Village Police Department who make holiday outreaches possible – not only financially – but also – in that they help by donating transportation, man power, food, holiday gifts and more. They are an integral part of the core of our efforts.

In recent years, The Emerson on Harvest Hill has been hosting events and we are ever so thankful for a place to gather families.

It is also a huge privilege for the families we serve to open their hearts up to a new organization. Their voice, trust, and participation often inspires me beyond words.

And, I always want to thank God for His many blessings.

Website: https://singleparentadvocate.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/singleparentadvocate_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/single-parent-advocate/

Twitter: https://x.com/singleparentadv

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SingleParentAdvocate

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SingleParentAdvocate

Other: We are in the process of launching a new podcast called Because They Matter here: https://becausetheymatter.buzzsprout.com

We have a legacy podcast as well here: https://singleparentadvocate.org/podcast/

Image Credits
Huge thanks to Billy Buttons, single father, who year in and out provides affordable photography for our community and to Murray Media who helps create videos to help tell our story.