Remembering Linda Madigan

During my undergraduate program I took an Abnormal Psychology class (and of course self-diagnosed myself throughout the semester). I was required to complete 20 hours or so of volunteer hours. While in college I missed spending time with kids (“back home” I had babysat frequently and worked at a day camp summer after summer with three and four year olds). After looking down a list of possible agencies provided by my professor I decided on volunteering at a domestic violence shelter for two reasons; I could work with children and because I had a close relative who had been raped and subsequently volunteered at a rape crisis center. Twenty hours and four years later I received an award for being “Volunteer of the Year” and I moved to Wisconsin with the plan of finding a shelter there to continue my volunteering at.

Skip ahead 20 months. I was working a job, not to be confused with a career job. I loved everything about my new town except my job. It was clearly time to call that shelter I looked up 20 months prior. I walked through the door prepared to fill out a volunteer application only to have the volunteer coordinator encourage me, tell me to apply for the open children’s advocate position. I had no experience I told her. “You have lots of experience,” she insisted. I had three days to turn in my resume.

I was given an interview. I had nothing to lose. In mid August dressed for an interview and nervous as all get out I declared that if they thought I could do the job than I’d do it. I recall sweating my way through the interview and while walking out to my car taking a deep exhale. Linda Madigan, the director, was one of five people interviewing me.

Fast Forward ahead 5 years. Linda, who encouraged, supported and expressed her belief me was no longer there and neither was I.

Change the clock ahead to today. I attended Linda’s memorial today. On April 1^st she past away from cancer. Damn cancer.

Linda never introduced herself as the Director of New Horizons, she never once made staff believe she was better than any of us. Her support meant more than anyone’s to me at the agency, and it wasn’t because she was the director. It was mostly because she, too, had been the children’s advocate before, she knew what my job entailed and because she was the director who never gave herself a title in a group of people.

She had a heart full of passion and a green blazer hanging on the back of her office door. Linda was always dressed comfortably and her blazer hung there in the event the media wanted to talk with her. That green blazer dressed her up and was worn in every TV interview with Linda I ever saw.

Linda was a quiet, private person and after her retirement I only saw her once.  We shared a plane out of our town’s small airport. My family was on our way to a vacation and Linda was on her way to a Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans. This did not surprise me one bit. Of course Linda was volunteering with the American Red Cross, she was the epitome of activist and I wholeheartedly admired this in her. She once told me “DV (domestic violence) work gets in your blood.” A year after I left New Horizons to be a stay at home, full-time mother I completely understood what she meant. I will forever envision Linda Madigan on an airplane destined to help where people need her.

8 years later I continue to volunteer in my community.

RIP Linda Madigan, those, including myself, who were fortunate enough to see your passion to help those in need firsthand will never forget you.

To read more about Linda click here to read an article in the La Crosse Tribune published after her death.