Hi, I'm Katelyn! I am 8-years-old and I live in Wisconsin. I love giving back! I think it is very important to help other people. I like to plan projects during the year that help others in my community and beyond. On my birthday, I do an extra special project that is different every year. This tradition started when I was 5 and started with donating supplies to the animal shelter. The next year, I collected stuffies for kids at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Then, I made birthday cake kits! It makes me happy to be creative and to help others at the same time.

I am in third grade and love Squishmallows, Harry Potter, singing, drawing, art, and animals. When I am older, I want to be a vet. I also want to study rocks. I like to spend time with my family and play with my brother. I write stories and make drawings to go with them. Someday I will write my own book!

Video credit: Jamie Perez @ Beyond Words Productions

This year, Katelyn was nominated for and won the 2025 Do Good Wisconsin Youth Impact Service Award! She is the youngest recipient in the organization's history and attended their Ice Ball in Madison, Wisconsin in February. In addition to spending a fun weekend near the capital, she received a personal letter from our Wisconsin Governor, Tony Evers, congratulating her on
all of her achievements and thanking her for such an unwavering commitment to those in her community and beyond. 

Help Katelyn continue her mission and to fund future projects by donating today!

In 2022 when Katelyn turned 5, she decided to turn her special day into a platform for helping others. Saying she wanted to be a vet when she was older, she asked to gather supplies for the animal shelter. So, she treated friends to an exciting planetarium show and asked them to bring donations for animals instead of gifts. Her project was a big success and she proudly donated a trunk filled to the brim with cleaning supplies, toys, treats, and food to both the Neenah Animal Shelter in Neenah, Wisconsin, and the Pawffee Shop Cat Cafe in Appleton, Wisconsin. Katelyn additionally crafted a stack of homemade no-sew tie blanket-style beds out of fleece for each facility. After delivering the donations, she immediately began planning her next idea.

For her 6th birthday in 2023, we celebrated with a party at a horse stable with a fun day of riding. Her friends and family fulfilled Katelyn's wish to donate new stuffed animals of any size or kind. Soon, two heaping bags of plush friends were brought to The Children's Hospital of Wisconsin-Fox Valley where they were given out to children in the pediatrics unit. Katelyn was especially excited about this delivery!

For the sparkly 7, Katelyn wanted to make an even bigger impact. Friends and classmates were invited to the theater to watch Kung Fu Panda 4 with a personalized lanyard invite detailing her project. Katelyn asked guests to help her round up boxed cake mixes, frosting cans, bags of balloons, plates, party napkins, birthday candles, and disposable baking pans. Overtaking mom's office, she created a very organized assembly line of supplies and personally assembled Birthday Cake Kits. Each kit was completed with a label of birthday wishes that she designed herself. A whopping 28 kits were made and split between St. Vincent de Paul - St. Joseph's Conference and HELP of Door County, Inc. both located in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Katelyn was elated to be greeted by a celebratory party as well as a news crew to detail her efforts.

Then came 8 and it was magical! Katelyn celebrated her day with a Harry Potter-themed extravaganza at Crossroads at Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay. Attendees were surprised with a visit from Radar, the barred owl from Open Door Bird Sanctuary, sipped on Butterscotch floats, and created wants and potion slime. In true booklover fashion, Katelyn collected books for the historic Door County Bookmobile. She suprassed her goal by nearly 100 books and was thrilled to deliver them and stock their shelves for kids.

Katelyn's heart is so big and this year it will grow even more! She will be celebrating with a K-Pop themed party with karaoke and a noodle bar with friends and family while rounding up supplies for a very bright idea. As she turns 9, she will be assembling "Sunshine Sacks" which are Chemo Care Kits for cancer patients filled with comofrting goodies such as non-slip fuzzy socks, puzzles, soothing lotion, lip balm, and activity books. The sacks will be donated to Door County Medical Center's Cancer Unit and DoorCANcer, Inc.

All fundraisers and projects are for individuals and businesses in Wisconsin at this time.