Madison Crowell didn’t get a chance to sit still one April afternoon. She was constantly on the move, taking a girl to get a sip of water and then helping her get into the right poses during a yoga session with other kids.
Crowell is known as “Miss Maddie” to the group of first- and second-grade girls that she works with at D-Up, a nonprofit organization based in High Point that promotes overall wellness in children. It’s similar to an after-school program, and Crowell volunteers there three days a week to ensure the girls stay active and grow their interpersonal skills, such as how to have a conversation with an adult. She also helps them with their schoolwork and makes sure they’re well fed.
Before she was known as Miss Maddie, Crowell was known as the “Million Dollar Scholar” after she was accepted to 231 colleges and universities across the country and earned nearly $15 million in scholarships. She decided to attend High Point University and join its Bonner Leader program, which connects students with local nonprofits and social innovation projects around the city of High Point.
“Service is my life. I dedicated my whole high school career to community service,” Crowell says. “I have a scholarship back at home that I’m giving to a high school senior who has completed a certain amount of community service hours. I just feel like it’s important to give back to your community whenever you can.”
Students Committed to Service
Started in 2013, HPU’s Bonner Leaders program gives students who have a heart for service and qualify for federal work-study a way to positively impact the community while growing their skills. Students who serve as Bonner Leaders during their four years on campus commit to completing 8-10 hours of community service per week, adding up to more than 300 hours of community service each academic year.
“Bonner Leaders are deeply devoted to the people of the High Point community, embodying a spirit of tireless service,” says Kimberly Drye-Dancy, who serves as executive director of HPU’s Center for Community Engagement. “Through their collaboration with local non-profits, High Point City and the High Point University community, they work relentlessly to address the needs of those they serve. These individuals are not only committed to service but to creating lasting, meaningful change for the betterment of their community.”
HPU had 52 Bonner Leaders assisting eight community partners during the 2024-25 academic year, including the city of High Point, the YWCA, the West End Ministries and the Macedonia Family Resource Center. They also help coordinate HPU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service every January.
Lifting Up Local Children
Not long after arriving at HPU, Crowell and the other new Bonner Leaders had to rank which nonprofits they wanted to volunteer with during their time at HPU. D-Up was one of her top choices and a natural fit for her.
Crowell, a Class of 2028 exercise sciences major from Hinesville, Georgia, enjoys working with children. She can also relate to many of the girls whom she mentors at D-Up.
“My mom was a single parent at some point, so I know what it feels like to not have a father figure and to have a parent play both roles,” Crowell says. “And so just seeing where they’re coming from, I can understand the struggles that they’re going through. There were times when we didn’t always have the money to get dinner every night, or my mom would have to sacrifice and not eat dinner so that I can eat. So, I understand what they’re going through in some sense.”
Each of Crowell’s 3.5-hour shifts at D-Up seems to start off the same way. As soon as the girls in her group see her, they give her a hug and tell her about their day at school. If they did an art project in class, they’ll show it to her. Crowell says she has many trinkets in her dorm room and at her home back in Georgia that the girls have given her and told her to keep as gifts from them.
“Since I’m going to be at D-Up all four years, I feel like I can build that connection with them,” Crowell says. “So, even when I’m in my senior year, they’ll probably be in fifth or sixth grade, but they may come back and say, ‘Hey, Miss Maddie, I just want to see how you were doing. I know I was in your class like three years ago, but I really miss your class.’ I’m always there for a conversation with them.”
