CINCINNATI — WCPO 9 is holding a telethon Thursday afternoon to help raise money for a unique nonprofit providing critical support for young adults in recovery from mental health struggles and addiction.
WCPO 9 will hold a telethon from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Click here to donate to Madi's House.
Click here to see the impact Madi's House has on young adults:
For WCPO 9 Chief Meteorologist Steve Raleigh and his wife, Julie, it's a deeply personal mission. The Raleighs founded Madi's House after losing their youngest daughter, Madi, to trauma, mental illness, and addiction. The nonprofit serves as a mental health hangout for recovering young adults, offering support groups, activities, classes, and a welcoming space where recovery doesn't have to happen alone.
"Madi needed, and she said it, she told me over and over, 'I need a bright place. I need a place to be with people like me,' and that's why we started Madi's House," Julie Raleigh said.
The organization has grown to approximately 3,600 members and sees between 1,000 and 1,500 people each month.
"In essence, what we do is create community and then all of a sudden they're not alone. They're not isolating," Steve Raleigh said.
That growth is fueling the organization's next chapter. This weekend, the nonprofit opens a new thrift shop, turning its original storefront into a permanent source of funding. Every purchase will help support programs for young adults while helping expand services for teens through a new initiative called Spark.
"All the proceeds that we get from the thrift shop will end up sustaining Madi's House, and so as a result, give us a chance to continue to build programming to help more young adults," Steve Raleigh said.
Madi's House is also raising money for a future wellness and fitness center and is already more than halfway to its fundraising goal.
"She would be like, 'OK, take me. I got this,' and she's up there, you know, making miracles happen and saving other young adults. I know she will love the wellness and fitness center that we're building. So, so needed," Julie Raleigh said.
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