Madison Quinn was just 13 years old when she founded Strong Little Souls, a Pittsfield, Mass.-based nonprofit dedicated to helping kids battling cancer.
"I began reaching out, offering to send packages and toys with my own money from my side job, and it quickly grew from there," Quinn said, "and I decided this is definitely something that I'm going to want to continue to pursue through the rest of my life."
Working out of her childhood bedroom in Pittsfield, Madison, with the help of her eight-year-old sister Delaney, is putting together care-packages to bring some joy to kids going through treatment.
"Every package is tailored to the child's wants or interests. The parents usually provide us with a short description of the child's interests and we do a personalized package from there," Madison Quinn said.
Over the last few years, Madison says she's sent thousands of packages and raised tens of thousands of dollars to help families cover costs. And two weeks ago, the New England Patriots named her a community "Difference Maker of the Week."
Madison said she's busier than ever because of the pandemic, and fundraising is a big challenge.
"Many families are out of work and still drowning in medical debt from treatments and any other costs that come up along the way," she said. "Our demand has been skyrocketing through the roof, and our fundraising efforts and the money coming in has been at a rock bottom."
It's a juggling act trying to balance her work with the organization while also going to nursing school, but Madison said it's the kids and the families who keep her going.
"I never imagined that when I started this six years ago that I would have such a close connection with all these families and all these kids, but it's really inspiring to watch first-hand these children go through these battles, and the families inspire me as well," Quinn said.