KNX Hero: Raising funds so others can 'Rising Above Disabilities'

At just 17 years old, Addie Matthews of Mission Viejo is impacting lives in a big way! A year ago, she volunteered as a camp counselor for RAD Camp , a SoCal nonprofit that offers camps for kids and adults who are differently-abled or have special needs.

Her time volunteering left such an impression on her that this year, Matthews decided that she would not only return as a counselor but also fundraise and help pay the way for as many campers as possible!

She tells KNX Hero's Host, Heather Jordan , that it costs $2,500 to have one kid stay at the camp, and they change families for $500, but it is often too much. "So we were raising money to get kids off the waitlist and cover camperships for families that the price is too much for."

To get the community and her classmates involved, Matthews organized a 5K walk run and celebration event with the help of a few RAD leaders.

She quickly surpassed her goal of $3,000, raising close to $53,000.

Her efforts helped eight campers this year, but that's not all—this summer, she's also joining a group helping build a home for a deserving family in Mexico.

"We're going down for five days building it completely from the ground up, building tables, walls, beds," said Matthews.

Driven to make an impact, Santa Margarita Catholic High School student Addie Matthews is our KNX Hero of the Week!

Check out all our KNX Heroes here .

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