Kindness In Action: How One Child Rallied A Town For Local Veterans

June 17, 2025

In a heartwarming display of compassion and determination, 10-year-old Kendelle Reed from Addison, New York, has gone above and beyond to support local veterans—and her entire community is celebrating her remarkable effort.

Kendelle at the Bath VA

Since early April, Kendelle has been working tirelessly to collect essentials for veterans at the Bath VA, including socks, t-shirts, and underwear. What began as a goal to gather 230 of each item quickly turned into something much bigger, thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the Addison community and surrounding areas.

With the support of her parents, Missy and Douglas Reed, Kendelle held craft sales, made and sold handmade gnomes and candles, and even organized bake sales where she pitched in on the baking herself. The result? She not only met her goal—she surpassed it.

“She’s very determined,” said her father. “So when she gets an idea or somebody gives her an idea, she thinks about it—and then she goes with it.”

Kendelle / Credit: Missy Reed

From a young age, Kendelle has had a heart for giving. At just three years old, she handed out ornaments at a grocery store to make people smile. Since then, she’s raised money for children with cancer, created handmade magnets for police officers during the pandemic, and found ways to uplift seniors and others in her community.

“I like giving to people. I care a lot about everybody,” Kendelle said. “All the elderly people, all the disabled people… Everybody deserves to be treated fairly.”

Her kindness and leadership haven’t gone unnoticed. The Addison Fire Department named her Citizen of the Year, and the Village of Addison recently held a celebration at the Community Center in her honor. Attendees got a first-hand look at the collection she assembled, along with custom t-shirts she designed with her mom—each featuring her handprint designed to resemble the American flag.

“She's amazing, she's gonna go places in life, and she's headed in the right direction,” said her mom, Missy. “The village loves her.”

Addison Mayor Edward Soporowski echoed those sentiments, saying, “You don’t see this very often… so when you do, you want to make sure it’s acknowledged and not forgotten.”

Meet Kendelle in the local news video below: