Year-round Christmas spirit for Maddy

Christmas may be a far-off, much-anticipated holiday for many children, but for 6-year-old Maddy Kirkpatrick of Bollinger County, it's a goal she is working toward to give children at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., a merry Christmas.

Maddy and her sisters Sami, 5, and Bella, 2, are collecting coloring books, crayons or donations to give to young patients at St. Jude.

Their project is called Coloring for Christmas.

"She's a little girl with a big heart," said her grandmother, Sheila Kirkpatrick.

The idea began when Maddy heard a radio commercial by an announcer from Nashville, Tenn., who was encouraging people to send cards to a boy who was ill.

Maddy was inspired to join the project, her grandmother said, but it turned out there were other projects in which Maddy could become involved.

The family met a Piedmont, Mo., man, Michael Rotter, who leads the organization Countdown to Christmas, raising donations at Christmas for the children at St. Jude. He welcomed Maddy's participation with her idea to collect coloring books and crayons.

So Maddy went to work. She involved her sisters, her parents and her grandparents. Lucky for Maddy, her grandmother is Sheila K. of KMHM 104.1 FM radio. She's been announcing the Coloring for Christmas collection on the air and on Facebook.

Last week, Maddy and Sami sat at a table in Country Mart in Marble Hill, Mo., asking customers to consider donating. A collection box is set up at Country Mart and at Discount Grocery, and several donation jars are popping up around town.

According to Sheila K.'s most recent Facebook post, Maddy and her sisters have collected 542 boxes of crayons, 863 coloring books and more than $200 in donations to buy more.

Last week a listener who modifies cars brought the girls 25 books and signed each of them, Sheila K. said.

People have been donating coloring books and crayons by the boxful. Maddy will collect until Oct. 4.

On Oct. 7, Maddy will travel to St. Clair, Mo., to take her efforts to Rotter to add to his other donations so the children at St. Jude can color within the lines -- or not.