Meet Leanne Lacey | Founder and President/CEO, Confidence Kits, Inc.

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

Hi Leanne, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Our organization, Confidence Kits, Inc. was born out of a group of loving and giving friends I have hiked, ran, and lived life with for over 15 years. These women chose to donate amazing hygiene kits to food banks as birthday gifts to one another as a way of celebrating and giving back to others in need. What a great concept! When I retired from 39 years in education, I wanted to give back to the community, but I did not immediately find a “calling”. I eventually decided that with my husband, we could start our own nonprofit based on the the great idea my friends had regarding the hygiene kits and expand on it. We founded Confidence Kits, Inc. in April, 2022 and continued to build the brand and the business, including IRS nonprofit status and Arizona Qualified Charitable Organization status by September, 2022.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We have a very focused mission to provide kits consisting of 11 hygiene products to nonprofit community support centers, food banks, homeless and foster student support programs and transitional housing organizations. At Confidence Kits, our goal is to provide products which support general overall physical/dental and mental health to community members in need, foster children, foster parents, transitioning families, homeless, and anyone else in need utilizing local support organizations. We are completely volunteer staffed.
Our mission and actionable goals are being continually refined. Our four company officers have a shared vision of what this organization, Confidence Kits, can and should be, the impact we can have on our community, and where we want to take it in the future. Two of our board members are from the original group of friends who came up with the concept, so they understand and wholly embrace our vision. They are active volunteers with us and the amazing skills they use in their “real jobs” add so much value to our organization. Our CFO has over 30 years of experience with contracting and program management and keeps the inventory, procurement, deliveries and grant writing all up to date and on track.
We have grown Confidence Kits, Inc. by 25% each year since 2022. We currently assemble and deliver over 170 Kits per month and can feasibly grow another 15% to reach our maximum production and delivery capacity. We are a home-based nonprofit that has less than 1% overhead and no paid employees.
My husband and I are retired and have been fiscally responsible our entire married life so that now we are enjoying retirement and all that entails. The financial freedom we have allows us to manage and grow our nonprofit– which we find it very rewarding! We share the values of community, a giving spirit, and helping others help themselves.
I grew up in a very modest home in the suburbs of Seattle with working class parents. I wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. Thankfully, using some scholarship money and student loans, I was able to be the first college graduate in my family. My husband served in the military for 24 years, so public service has always been a part of our lives.
When I was working, my life balance was work, exercise/outdoors, and family. Now that my husband and I are retired, we balance doing what we love to do (travel, golf, kids and grandkids, friends) while also pursuing our passion by reaching out to hundreds of people each month through our nonprofit, helping them with their hygiene needs, self-confidence, and the possibility of improving their situation. It’s been amazing and we are grateful to enjoy a work – life balance that is so easy and so rewarding for us!
The principle of greater good matters most to us. In our family and our community we always look for ways to help others and lift others up. I am active in several other nonprofits as well, and you can always see first hand the effects a helping hand up (not hand out) can have on those in need. Anyone can fall on hard times and we try to be mindful of ways to help nurture growth and improve the lives and futures of those around us.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would make sure we went hiking– preferably to a spot atop one of the highest spots in the greater Phoenix area so all the landmarks would be visible. We would see many unique flora and fauna, and enjoy talking while getting some exercise and fresh air!
I would suggest also the various restaurants around town that serve a Sonoran-style Mexican food, and also the many healthy options we have here such as the Olive Mill (a working olive ranch). A Sedona day trip, Flagstaff overnight trip and maybe even tubing down the Salt River with hopes to see the wild horses.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d definitely like to dedicate this shoutout to the best friends that originated the selfless idea for Confidence Kits many years ago without even knowing it and my smart husband who makes everything happen for me behind the scenes.

Website: https://www.confidencekits.org

Instagram: https://instagram.com/confidencekits

Facebook: https://facebook.com/confidencekits

Image Credits
Leanne Lacey