Turning Tragedy Into Impact

It’s a day Jody Smith will never forget. On December 14, 1991, Smith’s 7-year-old daughter was killed in a vehicular accident during a Christmas parade.

“I realize how hard it is to lose a child,” Smith says. “While every loss is different, I deeply empathize with families enduring the emotional strain of having a child in the hospital and facing uncertain outcomes.”

At the time of her daughter’s death, Smith had a 3-year-old son and was soon pregnant with another boy. As a young mom, she had no choice but to stay grounded in the middle of heartbreak. Through her grief, she found a path forward in helping others. Over time, that path led her to Phoenix Children’s.

A Community Cornerstone

Smith and her former husband founded CornerStone Staffing in Texas in May 1991. “It was on a hope and a prayer,” says Smith, who at the time was working nights and weekends as a flight attendant for American Airlines while raising her family. “We’d always wanted to do our own thing. We had handwritten loans from friends and family on scraps of paper.”

What began as a small, founder-led venture has grown into a staffing and recruiting company with more than 60 full-time employees serving job seekers across the U.S.

Smith became president in 2017 when her husband retired, then assumed sole ownership in 2020. Outside of the business, she is an engaged community member, active with nonprofits, and has even served three terms as the mayor of Flower Mound, Texas.

Giving back is a core value for Smith, and it shapes CornerStone’s culture as well. The company’s employee-founded nonprofit, Helping Hands, supports job seekers in need. In addition, CornerStone matches employee donations during campaigns such as North Texas Giving Day, and every staff member receives a paid day each year to volunteer.

In Dallas-Fort Worth, Smith and the CornerStone team partner closely with Cook Children’s Medical Center, supporting the hospital financially and through hands-on volunteering. After opening its Tempe, Arizona, office in 2019 and seeing operations stabilize post-COVID, Smith was eager to connect with meaningful causes in the Phoenix area and was thrilled to learn about Phoenix Children’s.

“They opened their arms to us,” Smith recalls. “We said we wanted to attend functions, serve food at events, work with the kids—I love being around kids.”

Support for Phoenix Children’s

In 2024, CornerStone Staffing initially committed $50,000 to Phoenix Children’s. After touring the hospital, Smith doubled that investment. “It was just a joyous thing,” she says. “Both the hospital and Foundation employees were good at their jobs and so passionate.”

Whether Smith and her team are volunteering at the hospital, attending fundraisers or helping with a toy drive, she enjoys meeting people from all walks of life. “When you’re at a children’s hospital, everyone’s just thinking about those kids,” she adds.

For 2025, Smith wanted to do even more. CornerStone increased its commitment to $150,000 to support Phoenix Children’s Foundation’s year-end campaign. “I wanted to help encourage others. We are in a down economy, and a lot of people can’t give the way they used to,” she says. “We’ve had such a good time being a part of Phoenix Children’s, and I hope the joy and desire to help rub off on others.”

In her free time, Smith enjoys bicycling, gardening and traveling to visit her three adult sons. She is also learning to fly airplanes.

“My daughter would have been 41 this year. Christmas used to be really hard, but when we started doing the Cook Children’s telethon at Christmas, it was my healing,” Smith says. “I get a huge satisfaction out of helping agencies that help children. And I believe that if you can give back, you should.”

She hopes others will join her in supporting Phoenix Children’s. “When businesses and individuals come together for the common good, amazing things can happen,” Smith says. “The employees at Phoenix Children’s have their hearts in this.” And Smith is proud to support the health system—and the children and families it serves.