Lapel's Lapor of Love

A Hurricane Helene relief effort sparked by Stephanie Duncan Evelo (Indiana State) quickly snowballed into a powerful community movement. 

By Editorial Manager Elizabeth Liberatore 

Making a difference, changing lives, leaving a legacy.

This simple yet powerful phrase defines Stephanie Duncan Evelo’s (Indiana State) universe, serving as her life motto. Displayed on her realty firm’s website and beneath her email signature, it lets everyone know exactly what she’s about. Her unwavering commitment to helping others is contagious — so contagious that this past fall, when Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction across the southeastern U.S., Stephanie rallied her small town of Lapel, Indiana, to organize a massive donation drive for another small town impacted by the disaster. She named the movement Lapel's Labor of Love and even had a special logo designed to represent it. But that’s Stephanie: someone who never lets the grass grow beneath her feet, always seeking new ways to support others, and that’s how she’s always been. From a young girl to a Gamma Phi and a successful Realtor, property owner/investor and businesswoman to a wife and mother, Stephanie’s journey has always been about using her skills and connections to make a positive difference.  

 Early Life in Lapel

About 35 miles northwest of Indianapolis — a 45-minute drive — sits the small town of Lapel, Indiana. Named for its unique shape created by the railroad that runs through it, resembling a coat lapel, the town has a population of just over 2,400, from retirees to young professionals and families. Here, everyone knows each other. Lapel is everything to Stephanie; it’s where she was born, raised and now raises her own family with her husband, Derek, while expanding a successful business empire.  

“We’re a teeny tiny town, but we have a lot of heart. That’s why I love it here,” Stephanie shares. 

Stephanie left her hometown of Lapel twice: first for college, attending Indiana State University, and later as a collegiate leadership consultant (CLC) after graduation. 

Reflecting on her college days, Stephanie shares that joining a sorority felt natural — and choosing Gamma Phi felt even more so. During recruitment, she formed instant connections with the Gamma Phis of Beta Pi Chapter. “I loved that Gamma Phi Beta stood out as a place where I could be my most authentic self rather than fit into a particular mold. Joining meant connecting with a like-minded community of women striving to uplift one another, and I wanted in,” she says. 

After college, Stephanie joined the 1992-93 CLC cohort, which consisted of seven members from various collegiate chapters. This was also the first CLC group to stay overnight at International Headquarters (IH) on East Euclid Drive, which officially opened in 1992. “I remember IH being an empty space, with moving boxes scattered around. It was funny,” Stephanie recalls. 

Despite its bare halls, IH became home to cherished memories for Stephanie and her fellow CLCs, who stayed connected long after their traveling days. Their 1992-93 CLC text thread is still active today. Sadly, one of the CLCs, Leah Hubbard Moore (Alabama, 1989), passed away in 2016 after a courageous battle with cancer. Most of the group gathered by Leah’s side in her final moments. “Five of the six of us traveled to Orange Beach, Alabama, to sit with Leah on the beach during her final days,” Stephanie recalls. “It was healing for all of us.” 

 Building a Home and Community

After her CLC days, Stephanie returned home to Lapel and has since built a full and beautiful life with her husband, Derek — whom she met through her sister-in-law, also a Gamma Phi Beta — and their three sons: Eli (21), Asher (20) and Andrew (17). 

Professionally, Stephanie wears many hats: businesswoman, property owner/investor and, primarily, Realtor. With over 20 years of experience in the Indianapolis area, she has helped countless clients, including a few Gamma Phi sisters, find their first homes. Alongside Derek, she is an investor/owner of Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro Northeast, with offices in Fishers and Indianapolis. Together, they also manage their own firm, the Evelo Team, overseeing a team of 16 agents and operations staff. 

Stephanie’s personal mission — to make a difference, change lives and leave a legacy — guides every aspect of her real estate firm. Giving back is the firm’s lifeblood, and she instills this purpose in every agent she brings aboard. Year after year, Stephanie and her team set not only sales goals but giving goals. “We are driven to help provide underserved families with basic needs, including water, food and shelter,” she shares. “It’s important for us, as a team, to give our time, talent and resources to organizations that can meet these needs.” 

The team donates a percentage of their commissions to causes close to their hearts, including Filter of Hope, an organization they have partnered with for several years that provides clean drinking water to underserved communities in developing countries. After the recent flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, Stephanie and her team expanded their efforts, raising funds to purchase filters for the affected areas in Western North Carolina.  

Stephanie’s impact is also felt locally. In addition to owning several rental properties, she and Derek own the Lodge on Main: a historic building in downtown Lapel that they purchased in 2020. Built in 1899, the building once housed the town’s post office. With a rich history, the couple transformed it into an affordable venue so that it could serve the local community for events, meetings and special gatherings. 

“We wanted to make sure whatever ended up in the building was good for the community and would help keep home values strong locally. We wanted it to be a place that blessed the community in whatever way it could or was needed,” Stephanie explains. 

No matter which hat Stephanie wears each day, her true gift lies in her ability to forge meaningful connections. With her extensive network, both from her work in real estate and her lifelong Gamma Phi Beta ties, she brings people together in ways that create a lasting impact. 

“I like to say I connect people, places and things with other people, places and things. Sometimes that means finding a dream home for a client or connecting someone in need with furniture, just because I know someone else who’s looking to donate it. Whatever the day’s calling is, I try my best to step in and help and simply be the hands and feet.” 

The call to help never felt more pressing to Stephanie than when Hurricane Helene made landfall.  

Lapel's Labor of Love

When Hurricane Helene hit in late September 2024, news of the devastation was inescapable. The Category 4 hurricane tore across the southeastern U.S., impacting Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, the Virginias and Tennessee, leaving many without food, water and shelter. While federal organizations like FEMA provided relief to larger cities, smaller towns continued to suffer. As Stephanie went about her day-to-day work, she felt increasingly unable to sit idle while so many people were in need. 

“There were people literally dying from lack of water and basic needs,” Stephanie says, while getting choked up. “It was surreal that we were going about our regular lives as if nothing had happened, just because we weren’t physically affected here. So, I said to my husband, ‘Okay, what resources do we have? How can we help others right now?’” 

The couple decided to turn to their community, hoping to fill a 14-foot enclosed trailer they had sitting empty in a storage unit. Once the trailer was full, Stephanie and Derek planned to make the trek from Lapel to another small town, Minneapolis, North Carolina, to help those who needed it most. Stephanie took to Facebook, calling out to her networks near and far for anything they could donate — water, food, clothing, blankets, medical supplies, toiletries, feminine products, baby products — and invited people to drop off items on her front porch or at one of her two real estate offices. The next morning, Stephanie woke up to the unimaginable. 

“That post was shared and reshared by local organizations, vendors and Lapel residents in under 24 hours. There were so many items in my front yard that it looked like we were moving, and my real estate offices looked the same,” Stephanie says. “What’s even more incredible is that the donations just kept coming.” 

Stephanie and Derek quickly realized that they had more donations than their trailer could hold. They added their suburban and flatbed trailer to the mix, but still, they needed more room. They ended up with a packed suburban, a rented U-Haul truck that pulled a 14-foot flatbed trailer full of water, a borrowed heavy-duty truck that pulled a 14-foot enclosed trailer full of donated supplies and a large rooftop cargo carrier. Stephanie laughs, “It was a whole fleet – that’s how much stuff we had!”  

The large rooftop carrier and suburban were packed with what Stephanie called Bags of Love. It began with 25 black bags featuring a paw print and the Indiana state logo — leftovers from a recent post-prom donation Stephanie had facilitated. At midnight on Saturday, three days before Stephanie and Derek’s scheduled departure, she posted on Facebook: “I need 25 volunteers to pick up a bag from my porch, fill it and bring it back by Sunday evening.” To her surprise, all 25 bags were claimed within three hours. But it didn’t stop there. More bags were donated, including 30 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, thanks to a connection through her sister. Over the next 48 hours, Stephanie’s home became a hub of generosity, with people of all ages arriving from morning until late at night, filling and organizing the Bags of Love. A total of 155 bags were collected, each one carefully packed with items meant to bring comfort and hope — an outpouring Stephanie likened to a modern-day loaves and fishes miracle from the Gospel of Matthew. 

“There were three little girls who sat on my kitchen floor every day, eagerly helping pack the Bags of Love. They just wanted to be part of the effort, and their dedication was truly inspiring,” Stephanie says. 

Stephanie and Derek, joined by four friends and colleagues, left Lapel at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, October 8, arriving in the small town of Minneapolis, South Carolina, around 4 p.m. the same day. It was essential to Stephanie that the donations reach those who needed them most, which is why she decided to travel the 521 miles to Minneapolis. “One of our real estate team members, Hannah Perkey, had a close friend whose family lives in Minneapolis. She shared how the town, which is so small and difficult to access, was hit horribly by the hurricane. That’s how we connected to Minneapolis and decided to bring our donations there,” Stephanie explains. 

As soon as they arrived in Minneapolis, Stephanie and her team met with a local contact through Hannah. Together, they unloaded all their donations into the local’s unaffected four-car detached garage, where the items would later be distributed to residents. The team filled three of the four garage bays with contributions from Stephanie’s Lapel's Labor of Love movement — the name she gave to this community-driven relief effort.  

Afterward, the team dropped off the Bags of Love at various locations around the small town, finishing just before dusk — around 6:45 p.m. They then spent the night with a real estate contact of Stephanie’s and began their journey back to Lapel the following morning. 

“We got back to Lapel the evening of Wednesday, October 9. So, incredibly, it took us about 48 hours when all was said and done,” Stephanie shares. 

As Stephanie reflects on her experience in Minneapolis, it’s clear that what struck her most was the deep sense of community she encountered. “The people there were so kind and so gracious,” she shares, her voice shaking with emotion. “Even though they were going through their own devastation, they still made sure others who needed help more got it first. It was incredible to see neighbors helping neighbors, everyone pitching in to make sure the town could get back on its feet. The strength and resilience of that community was truly moving.” 

Stephanie’s Lapel's Labor of Love movement highlights the power of community, and the incredible impact one person can have when they take action. As the driving force behind the movement, Stephanie became not just a facilitator but a catalyst for widespread generosity and support from one small town to another.  

“Seeing the response, the generosity, and the way people helped each other — it just fueled my desire to do even more,” she says. “This is why we do what we do because when communities come together, we can create real change.” 

While the Lapel of Love movement may have concluded, Stephanie’s journey of helping others — and in turn, herself — remains ongoing. Always striving for what she calls "self-mastery," Stephanie is continually seeking to grow, learn and improve.  

"You can never fully reach self-mastery because there’s always more to do or be," she says. "But it’s about always moving forward, always trying to be better and always helping others along the way."