Our Story

Courtney Vacek

Founder & Executive Director

Courtney Vacek is the founder of Knot by Sight Creative House, a nonprofit born from the belief that creativity has the power to heal, connect, and strengthen communities.

In 2013, Courtney was diagnosed with hereditary cone-rod dystrophy, a progressive retinal disease that causes continual vision loss and will eventually leave her completely blind. At the time, her son was just five years old. Overnight, everyday moments that many families take for granted—driving to school, attending activities, exploring the world together—had to be reimagined.

Together, mother and son learned to adapt. Rather than allowing vision loss to define their future, they discovered that resilience is built through creativity, determination, and community. Music, fiber arts, problem-solving, and a willingness to embrace new challenges became more than hobbies—they became a way of life.

As the years passed, Courtney witnessed another reality. Too many artists, musicians, makers, and creative individuals carried extraordinary gifts but lacked a safe, welcoming place to share them. Isolation, disability, financial hardship, and life’s unexpected challenges often left those talents unseen.

Those experiences inspired the creation of Knot by Sight Creative House—a substance-free creative home where people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can create, learn, teach, collaborate, and discover their own potential. Today, the same son who grew up adapting alongside his mother is helping bring that vision to life, building a place where others can experience the encouragement, opportunity, and sense of belonging that shaped their own journey.

Courtney believes that every person has something worth creating, every story has value, and every community becomes stronger when people are given the opportunity to share their gifts.

As Courtney’s vision continues to fade, her vision for the Creative House has only become clearer.

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Stormy Boone

Community Partnership & Outreach

I never felt like I was meant to fit inside the traditional idea of success. When it came time to imagine a 9 to 5 office job, I realized my heart was pulling me in a different direction. I believe many people spend their lives trying to fit into a mold that was never made for them, and somewhere along the way they lose the artist, the dreamer, or the calling that makes them feel truly alive.

When I became a Mother, everything changed. I made a promise that I would give my children the things I had longed for growing up, safety, presence, encouragement, and a deep sense of being seen. I thought I would be the one teaching them, but in truth, they became some of my greatest teachers. My children showed me the importance of slowing down, reminded me to be curious, and how to see the world with innocent eyes.

Being home with my babies allowed me to discover another passion, nourishment. Every meal was made from scratch with organic, whole ingredients. I never opened a can or reached for a powdered shortcut because preparing food became an expression of my love. It wasn’t just about feeding them, it was about giving them the very best I could offer with my own hands and as of recently food grown from our very own back yard. I know how fortunate I am to have this time, and I carry that gratitude with me every day.

Working nights in the music industry gave me something equally valuable. It gave me the freedom to spend my days with my children while surrounding myself with creativity, connection, and community at night. Music has always been a part of my life and it shows me that there are many ways to build a meaningful life beyond convention.

At my core, I am an observer. Once my eyes are opened to one truth, it’s as if sunlight breaks into countless rays, each revealing something else waiting to be understood. Those rays have led me to look for equality, consideration, ethics, inclusion, and the quiet ways people experience the world differently. Meeting Courtney and witnessing her journey with vision loss expanded those rays in ways I never could have imagined. It deepened my understanding that accessibility and belonging are not acts of charity, they are expressions of humanity.

I also find deep peace in nature. My Native American heritage pulls me to it. I love climbing mountains, standing still amongst the trees, listening to the wind, the water, and the silence between sounds. Nature has always been one of my greatest healers, a place where I can process privately, breathe deeply, and return to myself.

Looking back, I realize there has always been one beautiful person who appeared at exactly the right moment in my life. Someone who offered a word of encouragement, a bit of guidance, a home, or simply believed in me when I needed it most. Those moments changed the direction of my life. They taught me that a single act of kindness can create a ripple that reaches far beyond what we ever see. I strive every day to be kind to every soul I encounter. Understand them.

That is the kind of community I hope to help create. One where people are welcomed exactly as they are, where creativity and compassion coexist, where differences are celebrated, and where someone walking through the door might find the one conversation, the one connection, or the one moment of hope that helps them discover the next chapter of who they are becoming.

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Catherine Fewins

Operations & Program Development

Growing up in Benicia and later raising children here has given me a lot of perspective of how our community operates. I moved to Benicia the summer before starting 6th grade at BMS. I was in the middle school and high school marching band programs in color guard. I danced at Susie Harper School of dance for 14 years and was in the early days of the BHS Advanced Dance program. 

When I graduated from Benicia High School in 2006 I was unsure what direction I wanted to pursue; as I had so many passions. I decided to attend Le Cordon Bleu, California Culinary Academy in San Francisco where I received my associates degree in the Science of Culinary Arts after completing an externship in Eugene Oregon at the Valley River Inn. While working there I became pregnant with my first child and decided to come home to Benicia. 

I realized that my love for cooking was becoming more and more tedious with the hard restaurant hours. I felt like I was missing too much of my daughter’s life. I was finding it hard to make time for the Girl Scout troop I was supposed to be helping to lead. I found it hard to attend recitals and performances. After working at Sailor Jack’s in the cold section (seafood platters, salads, desserts, etc.) I made a choice to find a job more forgiving to a parent’s schedule.

 I started working for the BUSD Central Kitchen. I was able to prepare lunches, sometimes even at my daughter’s school. I also was able to do some catering on the side.

Exactly 20 years after my own high school graduation, I am the stay-at-home parent of two amazing humans and my first born also graduated from Benica High School in 2026.

I have had much support and love given to me by this community. However, I have had much loss and many struggles. I have lost too many friends and loved ones. I see what a mental health crisis, and often tragedy, does to a community too many times.

 The work I create is simply to share with the world. It may involve whatever I am hyperfixated on at the time, something commissioned or requested, or as a personal outlet. You could say I dabble in any creative arena. The world is an open journal waiting for me to find new ways of filling its pages. I hope my creations bring you as much joy as they bring me.

I am a mom attempting to teach my daughters to see the world through their own perspectives. I am a professionally trained chef, fluent in ASL and I like exploring different mediums of art in my free time as my own brand of therapy. I am lucky to have the means to be creative and receive the mental health help I have needed while many in our community have not been so fortunate. I am hoping Knot by Sight Creative House will be a way for me to repay that fortune to the community. 

The goals of KBSCH are in line with the best parts of our small community that I would like to see more of. I want to see artists thriving in ways they have not been able to in the past. I want all citizens, no matter their financial standing, capabilities, ethnicity, religious beliefs or connections, to find whatever resources will most benefit their mental, physical and emotional wellness. I want to see businesses helping businesses, neighbors helping neighbors, connections being made in person. Less social media distortion and more reality. After all, if something is acceptable or beneficial for one, it should be for all. 

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