The third annual Magic for Maddie fundraiser will remember 8-year-old Maddie Schmidt, pictured, who lost her battle to brain cancer in 2022.
Photo credit: Magic for Maddie.
HOLYOKE — Although 8-year-old Maddie Schmidt lost her battle to brain cancer, her legacy and memory has continued to shine and inspire her community, as the third annual Magic for Maddie 5K, 2-mile family fun walk and carnival fundraiser will return on Oct. 19.
Maddie Schmidt passed away in 2022 after a 10-month battle with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, a form of brain cancer. The first Magic for Maddie fundraiser in 2022 before her passing worked to raise funds for DIPG research and to help fund Maddie’s clinical DIPG trial at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Ninety percent of children diagnosed with DIPG die within two years of diagnosis with the median survival time being 11 months and an overall survival rate of less than 1%.
“Although cancer is what took Maddie’s life, it’s not her legacy,” said Nora Schmidt, Maddie’s mother. “In eight short years, Maddie loved deeply, shined brightly and inspired a community with her kindness, tenacity and sparkle. We want to thank our amazing community for your support during our darkest hours and we hope this event will bring a little of Maddie’s magic to all who attend. We know Maddie will always leave a little sparkle wherever she goes.”
Magic for Maddie became an official nonprofit charity in 2024 doubling down on its mission to fuel research for DIPG, help families in the fight against pediatric cancer and impact locally. To date, Magic for Maddie has raised more than $500,000 and funded more than $90,000 in research, primarily through their partnership with ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation as a Research Co-Funder, and also with the DIPG DMG Research Funding Alliance.
The foundation has also donated more than $65,000 in direct financial support to pediatric cancer families and kept $70,000 local, supporting Western Mass. nonprofit organizations and families fighting serious childhood illnesses.
Maddie’s aunt Jenn Capshaw said the family has been able to create a silver lining out of tragedy.
“[This event] has really kept us going to see how her spirit is so alive and so close to everybody, and really her legacy continues to live on even though she’s not with us right now,” said Capshaw.
Registration is now live with nearly 200 family and corporate sponsors including Hyundai Hope on Wheels’ $25,000 “Ring Leader” sponsor with Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke. Since 1998, Hyundai Hope on Wheels has worked tirelessly to support the families, researchers, doctors and children affected by childhood cancer and awarded grants totaling over $250 million.
“We’ve actually leveraged that and now have a matching challenge. So every dollar raised now and the event on October 19 is going to be matched by Hyundai Hope on Wheels. All of our participants and walkers and runners can truly double their impact so that’s amazing,” Capshaw said.
Capshaw said support from the community and its businesses through sponsoring the event have demonstrated how tight knit it is and have led to the success of Magic for Maddie’s fundraising efforts last year and expected this year.
“The biggest purpose [of the event’s first year] was so that Maddie could see the love of her community behind her,” Capshaw said. “The outpouring of support hasn’t stopped and that’s a huge reason why we keep doing it.”
Magic for Maddie is expected to draw thousands and expects to raise more than $150,000 to give back to those battling pediatric cancer and other hardships. The event will take place at Ashley Reservoir and the Holyoke Elks.
Featuring a jam-packed day filled with family fun, attendees can expect magic with Ed Popielarczyk, food and ice cream trucks, live music including country rock band Southern Rain, bounce houses, games, a dunk tank, a raffle, much more.
For the first time this year, online fundraising webpages will be available for all participants to easily raise additional funds for Magic for Maddie upon registration. Last year, Magic for Maddie welcomed 40 teams, and this year hopes to grow that number.
Registration is $35 for adults, $15 for kids and $100 family max, and includes all carnival activities and entertainment, a Magic for Maddie T-shirt and choice of an ice cream or complimentary beer or wine. Parking is free.
Capshaw hopes those who come out and support enjoy another year of family and community fun celebrating the life and memory of Maddie while raising money to help other children facing similar battles with cancer.
“We say this all the time: it’s turning pain into power and purpose. We heard that somewhere and we just have sort of done that. You can get bitter, or you can get better,” Capshaw said. “When Maddie was sick, there really wasn’t much we could do about what she had. The odds were the odds, but one thing we knew was that we were fortunate that we could give her the best of everything while she was here. So many families aren’t in a position to do that we’ve learned and to be fighting these enormous battles of childhood cancer and not be able to pay your mortgage or afford a plane ticket to go to a trial, or take that last wish trip, we knew we had to somehow pay that forward.”
For more information about the third annual Magic for Maddie event, to become a sponsor or to learn more about Maddie’s legacy, visit www.magicformaddie.com.
