Shortly thereafter, Stewart and a group of black women in the Evansville community established a Girls' Protective League. This organization raised funds to purchase a building to serve as a recreation center and boardinghouse for young women coming to Evansville for work or to attend school. The Phyllis Wheatly Home in Evansville opened in November 1922. By the 1930s, about 400 young women were participating in the home's activities. Through her early civic and philanthropic activities, Stewart became known for her strong organizational skills, enthusiasm, and commitment to improving the lives of African Americans in her community. By 1921, she had founded several Evansville organizations: the Evansville Federation of Colored Women, the Day Nursery Association, the Phyllis Wheatley Home, and the Evansville Colored Association of College Women's Clubs, among others. Stewart's civic involvement was not limited to black women's organizations. In 1927, she served as an officer in the newly organized Evansville Inter-Racial Commission and the next year she chaired an auxiliary group of the tuberculosis association of Vanderburgh County, Indiana. Indiana Federation of Colored Women From 1921 to 1928 Stewart served as president of the Indiana Federation of Colored Women, a statewide organization established in 1904 and an affiliate of the National Association of Colored Women. Soon after becoming president of the IFCW, Stewart launched The Hoosier Woman, a monthly newsletter that she also edited. Its primary purpose as the official publication of the organization was to improve communication between the IFCW's leadership, local chapters, and individual members. By 1924, Stewart expanded the newsletter's scope to include national and international news. During Stewart's tenure as president, the IFCW's membership increased from 42 clubs in 1921 to 89 clubs and a total of 1,670 members at the end of the decade. Stewart also streamlined the IFCW's organizational structure into five major departments with clubs assigned to the different departments based on their stated purposes. In addition, the IFCW began collecting dues of $2 per member, which funded the organization's scholarship program and its annual $50 scholarship prize. One goal that Stewart was not able to realize during her presidency was establishing ten Phyllis Wheatley Homes across Indiana. Six homes were established, but only three operated as boarding homes. National Association of Colored Women While continuing her civic and philanthropic work in Indiana, Stewart became involved in the National Association of Colored Women. In 1918, she was elected as chair of