Marissa Stewart-Dix is Gulfportian of the Year

Marissa Stewart was a visitor to Florida in 2015, having come down from her lifelong home in West Virginia for her sister’s wedding, and was browsing a local listing of events when she came across something that immediately caught her eye.

“What is this thing called GeckoFest?” she asked her sister. “Where is Gulfport?”

Since there was no formal wedding reception planned, the entire wedding party took in the annual event, which had a Mardi Gras theme.

She knew then that she would eventually move there, thinking at first that it would be after retirement. But she changed her mind and became a Florida resident in the spring of 2016.

Today she is known locally as Marissa Stewart-Dix, because within a short time she met her future husband, Derrick. They had their wedding on the beach in Gulfport and were living in the city by the fall of 2017.

But aside from Gulfport’s charm, one thing that impressed both of them was that so many residents shared their passion for community service. Specifically, it is Marissa’s involvement in many various public service initiatives, both on and off the job, that made her the Gabber’s 2022 choice for Gulfportian of the Year.

A career social worker, she spent several years in West Virginia working with people with disabilities as well as families connected with Child Protective Services and the senior population. Since moving south she has worked with the Pinellas County school system, first in a middle school, and since 2020, at Gulfport Elementary School.

“As a social worker, you’re on the lookout to meet unmet needs,” she said. “I do that at school, and whenever Derrick and I are talking about community service projects or events we can put together, we are always trying to make sure we are meeting a need.”

She joined the Gulfport Kiwanis Club in 2019 and later served as its president for two years. Under her leadership, the club hosted a community-wide baby shower and resource fair and served 40 expectant moms and their children under 5 years of age with community resources, stuffed baby bags, diapers, and car seat vouchers. They also also donated books to the Barbershop Book Club initiative; raised $1,800 during Shopapalooza 2021 to fulfill 50 Christmas wish lists for special-needs students at Hollins High School; provided masks/hand sanitizer to Gulfport Elementary; sponsored the Gulfport Elementary Girlfriends Club fees for the girls to walk in the St. Pete MLK Day parade; and sponsored food drives to support the Kind Mouse initiative.

During the pandemic in June of 2020, she and her husband went to Gulfport’s beach with chairs and food for their own private Juneteenth celebration. Their interaction with the few families also on the beach sparked the idea of an official celebration in Gulfport for Juneteenth, which had just become a national holiday. The couple led the drive to make that event a reality in 2021.

“The Gulfport Kiwanis family is like home to me,” she said. “The members and their gusto and hearts for service really empowered me to go forward with my involvement in the Gulfport community and now on the Gulfport Historical Society board and as a co-chair of the Gulfport Arts Center.”

Marissa and Derrick are always on the lookout for volunteer opportunities. A Tampa native, Derrick spent six years essentially as a professional volunteer with Americorps in Arizona, where he worked to develop educational and sports programs for young people.

“That’s kind of what bonded us was that we both wanted to be involved in the community. We were looking for more opportunities to help people,” said Marissa. “When we moved to Gulfport, we didn’t have to look very far at all.”

Serving the community (especially its children), meeting needs, and simply being a blessing to others is her calling. She admits that it stretches her thin at times, but once that passion for service gets hold of her, she likes to get after it with everything she has.

“It’s not about ego or a motive. It’s about making one corner of the world better with the intention that it will spread beyond your perimeter and into the world. It’s about doing what’s right and best for others,” she said.

“Derrick and I love the Gulfport community. We intentionally chose this community to live, work, play, and volunteer for a reason. It’s become abundantly clear in the past few years why we were drawn here.”