Our Story

There are two things about Maddie that have always been true: she cares a lot about other people, and she loves the game of hockey. Maddie was born with a heart of gold, and when she learned about hockey at the age of five, her heart found its first love. Nothing has changed as she’s grown, and when Maddie was ten and attending a summer hockey game at Da Beauty League in Edina, Minnesota, she learned about Paul Martin’s ShineALigh7 Foundation. She wanted to do something to raise money for Paul, so she held a little book sale in the driveway, and Books Against Bullying was born.

In 2019 Maddie raised over $10,000 for organizations and causes related to anti-bullying, youth mental health, and suicide prevention, including support to families who have lost their young children to suicide, as well as other organizations that support critical needs for kids.

Now 15 and almost finished with 9th grade, Maddie is a busy kid who plays hockey year-round and takes school very seriously, but she’s never wavered in her dedication to this important cause and to helping kids in other ways. In August 2019, Maddie ran an initiative to put books in classrooms in our community. She raised $400, and at $1.00 a book, gave 400 books to teachers both in our community and across the country.

In April 2019, Maddie was honored with the Dakota County Public Health Achievement Award in the Youth Category. The award recognizes contributions of Dakota County residents who devote their time, energy and talents in their communities to improve health. In August 2019, Maddie was one the honorees of the Jason and Carly Zucker Give 16 Honors, which celebrated 16 individuals, organizations, teams or nonprofits who are making an impact in their communities.

In 2019, Maddie completed her goal for the 2019-20 NHL hockey season, raising $3100 for 31 different children’s charities supported by NHL teams or players.