Sometimes it feels like there’s not a whole lot of good left in the world. That is until you hear a story like Maddy’s. Maddy is twelve years old and has a huge heart. She’s a soon-to-be seventh grader at Gorham Middle School and dedicates lots of her time to softball. Maddy lives in Gorham with her mother Alyson and her father Shaun, as well as their two dogs. The mother and daughter duo cheerfully answered our questions, revealing Maddy’s sensitivity and resourcefulness with a recent donation to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital.

This past June 4, if you happened to stroll past the Leeper’s home, you’d see Maddy sitting outside at a table full of baked goods and knitted stuffed animals. A handwritten sign hung from the white and blue table explaining the sale. The Gorham Middle Schooler was selling her small crafts and cookies so she could donate the proceeds to Barbara Bush Wing at Maine Medical Center. This, however, wasn’t her first idea.

Originally, Maddy planned to donate the actual stuffed animals to the kids in the hospital. She thought children who were sick and struggling could use a little gift. Alyson asked Maddy’s Aunt Meaghan who works at Maine Med if this plan would be possible. Unfortunately, due to lasting COVID restrictions at the time, the hospital was only accepting donations in the form of money. Nevertheless, Maddy persisted. She decided she could still find a way to help. So, the young girl set up her table at 8 a.m. at a neighborhood yard sale and ended up making $325 through cash and Venmo. By 11:30 a.m. everything was gone. Maddy coined her small business Crafts and Cookies for a Cause.