BIDDEFORD — As part of The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards Celebration, Points of Light created an Inspiration Honor Roll to celebrate both acts of kindness and service that demonstrate the light that individuals bring to their communities around the world.

The story begins with a vision by our 41st president of a thousand points of light, according to a press release. In January 1990, President Bush established the Daily Point of Light Award for those who have realized their power to do good. Outstanding individuals are nominated and recognized for going above and beyond. Recently, a girl from Maine, with a mission to spread kindness and stop bullying, made that list of honorees.

Knowledgeable about bees, the impact they have on the environment, and the importance to our ecosystems, 11-year-old Maddison Thayer made the connection that kids are like bees, and they need to be kind so the world can thrive.

Kindness was never more present than in May of 2017 when Maddie sustained a treadmill accident which brought her to Shriners’ Hospital, according to the release. The kindness shown to her inspired her to start an organization to carry on the kindness she received. Be Kind, Be Brave and Be the Change became the platform for her nonprofit organization, BRAVE BEES. Through this nonprofit, Maddie is also addressing bullying in schools knowing her biggest obstacle was going to be convincing the 1,408 kids that they are the future to ending bullying. She developed “Queen Bees and Kind Colonies;” anti-bullying peer activists in schools, who join her movement and work hard to change the mindset of bullies. Together with school administrators, they will work to establish safe pathways for conversation and work towards ending bullying.

As President Bush said, “We can find meaning and reward by serving some higher purpose than ourselves, a shining purpose, the illumination of a thousand points of light… we all have something to give.”

The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards Celebration will honor extraordinary individuals who demonstrate the traits of our 41st president – integrity, empathy, respect, optimism, conviction in the face of opposition and belief in the power of the human spirit on September 26th, 2020. Points of Light will celebrate and recognize people who are leading during these unprecedented times. This year, they will transition their traditional awards gala to a live stream experience, bringing hope and inspiration to audiences everywhere.

Presidents George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are graciously serving as Honorary Co-Chairs of The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards Celebration.

Maddison is beyond appreciative to be recognized with others who devote so much of themselves to making a difference. “I know we need to make a change. Brave Bees will work to replace rudeness with politeness and hate with kindness and love.”

Maddison serves as a Patient Ambassador for the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Boston. She collects can tabs which she donates to the hospital. Funds raised from this program are used to help cover travel costs for patients of Shriners. Maddie recently launched THE HIVE, an online bee jewelry store on her website, bravebees.org, to raise funds for Brave Bee wristbands for everyone joining the BRAVE BEES movement.

“We only live once,” Maddison said, “so I want to leave my footprint in this world; a footprint that is remembered for spreading kindness.”

For more information about BRAVE BEES and Maddison Thayer, visit bravebees.org.

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