Giving Tuesday was celebrated around the world on Dec. 2, where organizations and people gave back to their communities in numerous ways.
But for eight-year-old Madison Harris, giving is not a one-day affair. Rather, it is her way of life.
Through the cold and rainy weather, Madison, a third-grader at Newton County STEAM Academy, and her crew made the trip to West Newton Elementary School, donating six large boxes full of new and gently used coats for students in need. Funding for the coats came in largely from Madison’s own birthday money.
West Newton Elementary’s principal, Leah Green, said she first heard about Madison’s giving spirit through Joel Jordan and Communities in Schools of Georgia.
Green thought Tuesday’s donation would be a small but sincere gesture by a kind-hearted student within the district. Maybe two coats, possibly five coats or at best a dozen is all Green anticipated. She was glad to be wrong.
The final count: A grand total of 84 new and gently used coats.
“I wasn’t expecting such a big turnout,” Green said. “Like I’m thinking one, two, three coats, but five boxes full of coats? That’s going to go a long way in supporting our families here.”
While Green and much of the school’s administrative staff were in awe of Madison’s remarkable feat of generosity, others knew that this was not the start of her giving journey— just the latest chapter.
Madison’s passion for giving back was always apparent, her mother Sanjane Harris says. One morning on her way to school, Madison, then four years old, asked her mother a simple yet complicated question.
“I remember one morning she asked me, ‘Mommy, if God provides for me, why doesn’t He provide for the other kids who don’t have [anything]?’” Sanjane said.
Two years later, Madison – now a six-year-old first grader at Newton County STEAM Academy – approached her mother again, this time asking if they could host a medicine drive. Though that ultimately did not pan out, Madison soon turned her attention to a coat drive.
But she could not do it alone. So, Madison, Sanjane and her father, Derrick, assembled a team of dedicated volunteers to assist in the project.
Those volunteers included Faye Salmon, Madison’s godmother and owner of EJB Senior Daycare and Alana Sanders, then-Newton County commissioner and philanthropist. The team decided they would focus their efforts on Live Oak Elementary School, which had several students arriving at school without coats in chilly temperatures.
Everything fell into place when, on Dec. 1, 2023, Madison and her team successfully donated 46 coats to children in need, marking the official start of her journey in philanthropy. The impact was felt across the school, as several children now had access to a necessity that they previously lacked.
It was a moment that some may have thought could not be topped. That was, until Tuesday’s donation.
Surrounded by her parents, Salmon, Sanders and her younger brother Daniel, Madison was offered the chance to say a few words about her newest act of kindness.
Her answer was short, but sweet.
“I feel great,” Madison said.
Now, Madison – one of 14 honorees in the inaugural Covington News “Generations of Newton” special section – has ever-growing ambitions. She plans to host a coat drive every year and supply the donations to schools of her choice, much like this year. She also hopes to exceed 100 coats in next year’s drive.
But no matter how many coats Madison supplies, her work has already made a noticeable difference.
“It’s amazing to see young people do something like this,” Green said.
Perhaps even more importantly, Madison’s journey has caused the two most important people in her life to beam with pride – her parents.
“I’m just extremely proud of her,” Derrick, her father, said. “It’s never too late to give and never too soon to give.”
