ERIE, Colo. — It's been two years since Lauren and Tyler McDaniel's daughter, Madeleine, passed away at just five weeks old.
"We had 37 days with her. It was short, but it was sweet," said Lauren McDaniel.
Months into the grieving process, the McDaniels decided to start a nonprofit in their daughter's name called Maddie's Bows.
"A few months later after I was coming out of the fog a little bit I had this idea to do something good," Lauren said.
Lauren says she put bows on her daughter's head much of her short time on Earth and now the bows are a constant reminder of their time together.
In late March, the day after what would have been Maddie's second birthday, Maddie's Bows officially became a 501(c)(3).
"Little signs like that are pretty cool," Lauren told Denver7.
The non-profit customizes bows for a young girl with an illness or for a family whose daughter passed away. The money raised from each bow sold goes to the family to help with medical bills or to a different nonprofit of their choosing.
Lindsey McMorran's daughter, Peytonm is currently getting treatment for a brain tumor. Peyton was one of the first to get a custom bow.
"We actually saw one on one of the little girls at school yesterday. She had it on. She loves it, I love it," McMorran says of seeing the bows around town for her daughter.
McMorran was so touched by the support from Maddie's Bows, she donated to Maddie's Bows through her nonprofit Hope Homes Group. The 501(c)(3) allows realtors the ability to donate part of their commission to charity.
A local store in Old Town Erie, Charmed 33 Boutique, is now even selling the bows to help in the mission that has reached families across the country.
"It’s the best thing for me as a mom, like I said I don’t get to see those milestones here physically so these are just little reminders of her and the difference that she’s making in the world," Lauren McDaniel said.
