State Honoree

Madison McCorkle, 12, of Kokomo, Ind., a sixth-grader at Central Middle School, organized a fund-raising campaign that has collected more than $18,000 over the past five years for a local domestic violence shelter. She also supports the shelter by participating in awareness events and renovation projects, and by speaking to community groups. Madison first learned about the shelter when her mother, a professor at Indiana University Kokomo, worked on an annual fund-raising event for the facility. "My mom explained to me that domestic violence shelters provide a place to live when people can't stay in their own homes because they aren't safe," said Madison. "I was thinking how it would be sad, scary, and hard to be a kid in that situation."She asked family members and friends to donate a quarter each for kids at the shelter, and soon had $40. Then a newspaper wrote about her collection effort, and by Christmas she had $400. "It was neat to watch how a little bit from a lot of people added up so quickly," she said. After receiving an award from Indiana's lieutenant governor, Madison's "Quarter by Quarter" campaign really took off. Churches and civic organizations asked her to speak, and people all over the community started saving their quarters. Madison also has recruited hundreds of volunteers to take turns standing outside of local businesses to collect donations. "The idea is simple: just ask if people want to help," she said. In addition, Madison assists with community events to promote awareness of domestic violence, renovation projects at the shelter, and life skills classes for shelter residents.