Madeline Hoffman, 11, of Warminster, Pennsylvania, enjoys helping others and making people feel better. When her grandmother taught her to sew, she decided to use her new talent to create Buddee Bags, handbags for people who use wheelchairs and walkers. She named the bags after her great-grandmother, Buddee, who used a wheelchair and a walker to get around.

Hoffman and her team of family and friends cut out the patterns for the bags, sew them, and then deliver them to people of all ages at senior centers and schools. People use them to hold books and other everyday items they may need. They have donated dozens of the bags since last July.

Hoffman recruited volunteers to help her create Buddee Bags at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event that was held at Girard College in Philadelphia in January. They sewed dozens of cloth Buddee Bags. About 5,000 volunteers attended the event.

She has received a Disney “Friends for Change” grant. She is using the money to help fund her handbag creating efforts.

Hoffman has also received a grant from the Start a Snowball Foundation to help her grow Buddee Bags. She plans to use the money to send patterns and fabric to schools and organizations with sewing programs so that more children can get involved.

In addition, Hoffman receives donations that help her purchase materials and supplies. She plans to continue to produce as many Buddee Bags as she can and distribute them to those in need.

Here at HDS MEDALLION, we understand the need for walker and wheelchair bags for a wide range of people. Seniors who may be new to a mobility device may struggle to adjust to the fact that their former pocketbooks just don’t work on these devices. Disabled people have had to put up with drab, unisex bags for years. There’s lots of room for people who are working to help by producing colorful, attractive bags, especially a budding, caring entrepreneur like Madeline. We salute you!