This 11-Year-Old Raised Money To Give 230 Veterans Clothing—Then Tripled Her Goal
Kendelle Reed started helping strangers at age 3—now she's bringing joy to those who need it most
Kendelle Reed loves history — and she especially enjoys reading books and watching TV programs about the military. Her uncles Cal and Tim both served, which is why one night, she told her mom, Missy, “I want to do something for our soldiers.”
It wasn’t the first time Kendelle had dreamed up a way to brighten someone’s day.
Kendelle was only 3-years-old the day she and her mom crafted Christmas ornaments, and Kendelle asked if they could make extras. Later, on the way to the store, she brought several with her. As she and her mom strolled the aisles, she handed them to strangers, including one elderly woman who smiled through tears.
“You don’t know what this means to me,” she told Kendelle. “I lost my husband a month ago, and I wasn’t planning to celebrate Christmas. But now, I’m going to buy a small tree to hang your beautiful gift on.”
At 5, Kendelle made crafts and sold them to raise money for a little girl in her small town of Addison, New York, who had cancer.
And when the pandemic struck in 2020, she noticed how stressed local police were. “I want to make them smile,” she told her mom, so they went to the craft store for magnets and police-themed scrapbooking stickers with squad cars and handcuffs. She made plaques that read, “Be strong! Be united! Be safe!” and handed them out to local policemen.
Now, at 10, Kendelle wanted to spread even more joy to veterans. Her mom reached out to the local VA hospital and asked what they needed.
“Socks, T-shirts and underwear,” she relayed to Kendelle.
“How many?” Kendelle asked, and when Missy told her daughter the hospital served 230 veterans, she replied, “Then I need to raise enough money to buy 230 sets.”
A mission of love
Kendelle began visiting local businesses and sharing her plan to help veterans. Nearly all donated to her cause. Kendelle didn’t just meet her fundraising goal — she tripled it!
“Let’s create gift packages and sort them by size,” she decided. But she didn’t have to work alone.
A family friend suggested they bring the clothing to the community center, and that weekend, many townspeople, including the mayor, gathered to make short work of sizing and sorting.
The veterans were thrilled when Kendelle and her helpers showed up with over 600 packages, including 50 T-shirts decorated by Kendelle for special prizes.
“This means a lot to our veterans,” the director said. “And not just the clothing, but knowing there are people like you who remember us and care.”
A few of the veterans gave Kendelle a tour of the facility, ending with the community room.
“I come here every night to play bin- go,” one of the Wounded Warriors told Kendelle. “I don’t play to win. I play to be with my friends. But tonight I’m going to play to win—I want one of your beautiful flag T-shirts.”
Spreading hope
More recently, Kendelle sold fresh-baked cookies at a music festival to raise money for nail polish, nail files, shampoo and brushes for women at the local domestic abuse shelter. She also hand-crafted keychains with statements of empowerment, such as “I can do this!” and “I am strong!”
At this year’s firemen’s banquet, Kendelle and her parents were surprised when she was named Citizen of the Year, honoring the many ways she’s made a difference in her community. But she’s not done yet.
“This year, I want to get blankets and puzzle books to all the foster kids and gifts to all the seniors in the nursing home,” says Kendelle, now 11. Her motivation is simple. “I love bringing smiles to everyone I meet. Making people happy makes me happy too.”
This article originally appeared in the February 2, 2026, issue of Woman’s World magazine
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