Kristyn Vaughn discovered Stack Up the same way as many of the people she now helps: through gaming.
She started streaming to raise money in 2021. Streamers raise about 60 percent of Stack Up’s yearly funds, and the Influencer Relations Team helps connect with and support them. Vaughn felt deeply connected to the mission. Her father and stepfather both served in Vietnam, and she had already been a mental health advocate after her own challenges. By summer 2022, she joined the Influencer Relations Team. A year ago, she became the Community Manager.
“I’ve been a gamer since I can remember,” Vaughn said. She grew up playing the Sims, JumpStart games, and the Yukon Trail. These days, she still plays with her husband, her streaming community, and the Stack Up community. “I’ve used gaming as an escape from real-life problems and worries countless times,” she said. “I’ve used gaming both to connect with friends and loved ones, as well as just to lose myself in when playing solo games.”
Before Stack Up, she spent five years working at a Fortune 500 company. She lost her job in 2015 after her first child was born, which led to a tough period of depression. When the pandemic hit, she turned to gaming to stay connected with people. She started streaming, began fundraising, and eventually joined the nonprofit full-time.
Now, she leads two of Stack Up’s main programs: the Stacks, local volunteer groups, and the Overwatch Program, a peer support group on Discord that hosts game nights, movie nights, trivia, and community talks. She has grown the Stacks from nine active groups to over 30. She also manages the Stream Team on Twitch, considers more than just follower counts when reviewing applications, and leads regular team meetings and charity events.
In 2024, Stack Up reported $1,669,202 in revenue, shipped 232 Supply Crates, held 151 Stacks events with 18 active groups, and hosted 212 game nights, according to the organization’s 2024 impact infographic.
Stack Up’s 2024 impact infographic. Source: Stack Up.
She said her favorite part of the job is “the people.” “I love being able to help support not just our veterans and active service members, but supportive civilians as well.”
A Stack Up community Discord member, who wanted to stay anonymous, said Vaughn is a strong community leader because she’s been with the organization for a long time, stays active in Discord, and streams often. The member said Vaughn spends a lot of time answering questions, keeping conversations going, and working to reduce negativity in Discord. They also said Vaughn understands the value of charity work because she has raised funds herself and helped others run successful charity streams.
Vaughn still remembers the first Supply Crate she sponsored as a streamer. It went to a veteran named Kevin, who wanted to use it to connect with his students, all of whom were veterans. Later, Kevin joined her stream to thank her and the community. They still keep in touch on Xbox.
“Seeing the impact that I’ve made since I took over this position a year ago really means a lot to me,” Vaughn said.