TAMPA, Fla. — Good Morning Tampa Bay anchor Deiah Riley has highlighted the local nonprofit Madi’s Movement for years.
It’s a nonprofit born from heartbreak and built on love and hope.
The president and co-founder, Effie Santos, created the nonprofit in memory of her 19-year-old daughter, Madison, who was killed in a car crash nearly five years ago.
Out of unimaginable loss, Effie turned grief into purpose and created Madi’s Movement. The nonprofit is dedicated to helping children aging out of foster care feel seen, supported, and loved.
“The past five years, you've made a huge difference for so many kids. How do you think Maddie would feel about that?” asked Good Morning Tampa Bay anchor Deiah Riley.
“I think she would love it. She's with me every day and guiding this mission with me. And what's so special is all of our young adults that we work with know our mission, and that makes it even more special to them and to me,” said Effie Santos, founder of Madi’s Movement.
Madi’s Movement is solely dependent on donations and volunteers, yet its impact continues to grow across the Tampa Bay area.
So, Riley wanted to surprise Santos and asked her to meet for what she thought was just another conversation about her mission. But it turned into so much more and a surprise Santos didn’t see coming.
“I kind of tricked you a little bit because the Lightning Foundation gave me a gift at Christmas time. They gave me a check for $5,000 to give as a gift to the nonprofit of my choice, and I picked Madi’s Movement. So hopefully this will help to make a difference and continue your incredible mission,” explained Riley.
“Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. You've been here since the beginning, when we first launched, and being able to share Madi’s and our story and means so much. It does for sure, and you're in on this too. I appreciate you,” said Santos.
You can learn more about Madi’s Movement by clicking here.
Share Your Story with Deiah
Anchor Deiah Riley has called Tampa Bay home for more than 15 years. As a mother of two, she knows the importance of a good education and finding affordable things for families to do. Reach out to Deiah with any education related stories or activities you think she needs to know about.
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