Kaycee Stanley ’09 receives 4 Under 40 Alumni Achievement Award

As a recipient of Bethel’s 4 Under 40 Alumni Award, Stanley sees the honor as more than a personal milestone. “My hope is that more people hear about these kids,” she says. “Maybe they’ll start praying about adoption. Maybe they’ll fund a reel or invite us to speak at their church. Every single action helps.”

Nearly 700 children awaiting adoption in foster care have had their stories told through The Reel Hope Project, a nonprofit founded by Kaycee Stanley ’09 to help waiting kids find forever families. Today, she serves as founder and CEO of the nonprofit, which is committed to making a video—called a “reel”—for children in foster care who are waiting to be adopted. These reels introduce children to potential adoptive families in a personal, powerful way.

As of fall 2025, the organization operates in nine states, and more than half of the children featured have been matched with families.

Finding her foundation at Bethel

Stanley’s journey to Bethel began with a desire to serve and mentor. Growing up in a Christ-centered home and committing her life to Jesus early in life, she felt a strong call to ministry—specifically with children and students. “I grew up in a Christian home, surrounded by people who loved me and loved the Lord,” she says. “That trend of intentional mentorship continued all throughout my life. I can name at least 15 women who discipled me—before Bethel, at Bethel, and since.” 

Those early seeds of guidance and faith took root, and led her to pursue degrees in biblical and theological studies and youth ministry at Bethel University.

And Bethel broadened her faith perspective. “I came from a Pentecostal background, and Bethel offered a different stream of Christianity. It was beautiful to see people love Jesus in different ways,” she says. “At Bethel, I experienced a broad spectrum of the body of Christ, and that shaped and equipped me for the church outreach work I do today.”

Stanley also found meaningful mentorship through professors like Christine Osgood. “She played a big role in my formation,” Stanley says. “Bethel was full of people who saw me, encouraged me, and helped me take my calling seriously.”

After graduating from Bethel in 2009, Stanley worked as a youth pastor, a role she didn’t initially expect to accept. “Before I graduated, I was on my knees in my dorm room, praying for clarity,” she recalls. “As I was still praying, my phone rang. It was the church calling to offer the job full time. It was one of the clearest answers to prayer I’ve ever received.”

She served there for several years before moving to California to attend Fuller Seminary. A year later, she returned to Minnesota to take on a leadership position at her former church. That’s where the vision for The Reel Hope Project started to take shape.

Building something bold—and deeply personal

Around year seven of her church role, Stanley and her husband Pete began talking about adoption. “We felt called to adopt,” she says. “But when we’d mention foster care, the reactions were different—more cautious, more skeptical.”

Those responses—from both inside and outside the church—highlighted something that deeply troubled her: misconceptions about kids in foster care. “People would say things like, ‘Have you done your research?’ or ‘I’ve heard horror stories,’” she says. “And we understood that those responses came from love. But we also knew they were missing the full picture.” 

Out of that realization came a bold idea: what if they could help the world see these kids differently? Inspired by projects in other states that used video to introduce waiting children, Stanley and her team dreamed of building something that could both change perception and connect kids to families.

That dream became The Reel Hope Project—an effort to reframe how people see kids in foster care and to show their stories in a fuller, more hopeful light. Each video captures the personality, strengths, and spirit of a child. “We get to create a moment that’s just about how awesome this kid is,” she says. “We’ve had kids tell their social workers, ‘That was kind of life-changing.’ One even said, ‘I’ve never had a day all about what I’m good at.’”

Stanley explains that case files are necessary, but often don’t tell the full story of the child. “We wanted to give families the chance to see these kids for who they are. To hear them laugh. To see their smile. To catch a glimpse of the child behind the trauma.”

And one of those reels changed Stanley’s own life. In 2018, while filming a video for a boy named Martez, she felt an unexpected pull. “In just a few hours, I saw how vibrant and funny and kind he was,” she says. “Reading his case file later, it didn’t match the kid I met.”

One thing led to another, and Stanley and her husband Pete adopted Martez in 2019.  

“He’s the best big brother to our younger kids, and the coolest, kindest young man,” she says. “The journey hasn’t always been easy, but he is absolutely worth it.”

That disconnect—between a cold, clinical case file and the real, living, lovable child—became the driving force behind Reel Hope.

Changing the narrative around foster care adoption

For Stanley, the mission comes down to this. “The kids we serve are the ones who can’t go home,” Stanley explains. “Reunification isn’t an option anymore. They’re waiting—sometimes for years—for someone to say yes to them.”

Stanley and her team step into that waiting with dignity and hope. “We don’t have the luxury of not having hope,” she says. “We don’t believe there is a wound that He can’t heal.”

Each video costs about $3,000 to produce and distribute. Reel Hope partners with churches and donors across the country to fund reels and spread awareness. But these videos do more than inform—they inspire action.

“One of our favorite stories is about a sibling group—teenagers—who were adopted by a family that found their video on our Instagram after hearing us speak at church,” Stanley says. “They saw the kids’ personalities, and it changed everything.”

Stanley emphasizes that not every child finds a family through their video. “But every child deserves to be celebrated. To feel seen. To be reminded that they’re valuable and deeply loved by God.”

The emotional tension of this work—and the faith that fuels it

Leading a nonprofit in the child welfare space requires grit, compassion, and resilience. Stanley calls it a daily “tightrope walk” between honoring trauma and choosing hope. “You can’t sugarcoat what these kids have been through,” she says. “But we also believe in a God who raised Jesus from the dead. That means there is no story beyond redemption.”

For Stanley, following that calling isn’t about pursuing dramatic, world-changing moments. “It’s daily, simple obedience,” she says. “In my earliest days, I thought, ‘I’m called to change the world.’ Now I see: I’m called to be obedient today—and trust the Holy Spirit to do far more than I can.”

That theological foundation grounds Stanley and her team. So does their commitment to joy.

“We want to be the most joyful people in the child welfare space,” she says. “Not because the stories aren’t hard—but because we believe hope is a discipline. And holding that joy is part of the work and the calling.”

A mission that’s multiplying 

Stanley states that their mission is only possible with the support of churches, donors, and communities who believe in what Reel Hope is doing. “Churches like Woodridge, Mercy Hill, The Why Church, The Highlands, and Central Lutheran have been with us from the beginning,” she says. “They don’t just support us—they fund videos that help change lives.”

Reel Hope’s long-term vision is to serve 1,000 kids a year—and they’re well on their way. But Stanley’s ultimate goal is simpler. “I want people to know the love of God—and to experience that love in the context of family,” she says. “That’s the legacy I want to leave.”

And that legacy is already unfolding—through every reel created, every connection made, and every act of faithful obedience that brings waiting kids one step closer to home.

Nominate the next 4 Under 40 recipients!

Bethel University’s National Alumni Board annually seeks and accepts nominations for the 4 Under 40 Alumni Achievement Award. The selection is made from Bethel University graduates 40 years of age or younger who have had outstanding achievements in their career, public service, or volunteer activities.

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