Inclusive Communities Humanitarian Happy Hour Brunch is back in-person.
This year it’s the Humanitarian “Happy Hour” Brunch on Friday July 22, 2022 from 4 – 6pm at The Venue at the Highlander. The organization is delighted to celebrate this year’s awardees with the community. S P O N S O R E D
c on t en t
Inclusive Communities youngest ever awardee is intent on causing good trouble
take action – an essential part of causing good trouble.” Right away, the Inclusive Communities Team knew that they needed to meet Maddi, and that her story needed to be shared with the rest of Nebraska (with some help from KETV). Since her spotlight on the local news, Maddi has started a Kindness Club at her school.
M
addi Intravartolo fought for her place in this world. Born in Italy at 26 weeks, a newborn Maddi weighed just over one pound. She was given a 20% chance for survival. Three weeks in the NICU, and the hospital burned to the ground. Yet Maddi clung to life and was transported to the US where she received better medical care. When Maddi was one year old, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Her mother Christina was told that she would never walk, talk, or feed herself. But Maddi had different plans. Maddi wanted to paint. To say that she has overcome incredible obstacles would be an understatement. However, Maddi has never faltered. She has instead taken up the charge of making this world better for those around her. From the time she was seven years old Maddi has been
24
doing acts of service through her art. Each summer for the past five years, Maddi has hosted art shows in her garage, always painting on a theme – dancers, donuts, social justice figures. This year her theme is women. The money that she raises from the display and sale of her pieces is then donated in full to a nonprofit or charity organization whose cause she believes in. This is how Inclusive Communities was first introduced to Maddi
July 2022
in the Summer of 2021. She took it upon herself to research the organization’s mission and activities and determined that it fit within her 2021 theme of painting social justice figures. Executive Director Maggie Wood said, “We didn’t have to go looking for Maddi; she came to us. She put herself out there to raise dollars for her community. She didn’t ask for or need anyone’s permission. She forged her own way to
What resonated with the organization is that Maddi’s goal is to create good trouble. Through her paintings, she has been raising awareness and money in support of crucial causes. “We think that there’s nothing more impressive than Maddi’s sheer grit. The kind of drive she has to elevate and bring attention to the lives of people who are completely outside of her scope at such a young age is the epitome of this award. We are so honored that she placed herself in our path, and that we get to be close to her as she grows up and continues to do this meaningful work. When you see someone with her attributes and values, it should be encouraged and elevated so she can keep going and not have her drive be squashed by the world’s pessimism,” said Cammy Watkins, Inclusive Communities Executive Director.