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Parenting: Maddie's Footprints hit major milestone

Maddie's Footprints hit major milestone
Posted at 7:11 AM, Sep 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-07 08:30:51-04

In 2009, Travis and Lori McGrew's life turned upside down with the still birth of their daughter Madeline Noelle.

"It's a unique loss," McGrew said. "It's something that really...people go through, and they move on with their lives and they have to carry that and don't talk about it much."

Through the grief and pain of losing Maddie, the couple stopped for a moment and thought about the others who are going through the exact same pain that they are--how can we bring this community together and help.

Maddie's Footprints was born.

"When the idea occurred, we had a crawfish boil," McGrew said. "All we wanted to do was raise a little awareness, raise some money, donate, and pay it forward. That turned into more events and more people getting involved."

Over the years the organization has helped thousands of families across Acadiana.

"It's that community of people coming together over a tragedy in their life and really spread the message and give them somewhere to go."

Today, that help is paying off. Maddie's Footprints celebrated a major milestone. For over ten years they have paid out a million dollars to grieving parents across Acadiana.

"I've seen the people who care about what Maddie's mission is and how many people its affected," McGrew said. "I'm hoping for another ten or more years forever on."

McGrew said he is proud of what they have been able to accomplish, and he looks forward to another million in the future.