Phaedra McGaffey was born and raised in the Pinckney/Brighton, MI area. Phaedra is ten years old and loves drawing, school, swimming and writing. The thing she loves most, though, is caring and helping others. Here is how it started…in 2016 she saw a big accident that really worried her. She decided that worrying was not enough; she wanted to figure out how to act. Through Girl Scouts she created “First Responders Jr” (FRJ) as part of her Bronze Award. She did not do it to earn the award; she did it because she knew in her heart that helping people everywhere, regardless of her age or ability, was the right thing to do.
In 2017, when Phaedra and her family were driving home from a Memorial Day picnic there was another accident that that tugged at her desire to help. Just before pulling into her neighborhood she realized that there were fire trucks and water everywhere, so she asked what was happening. Her parents were not sure, yet. Phaedra asked if they could find out, and the neighbors explained that a young couple that had recently moved into the neighborhood had lost everything as a result of a house fire while they were away for the day. Phaedra wanted to find out if there was anything that she could do and if there was anything they needed to rebuild their life. After getting a list of things they could use she set off to see if she could find them. Phaedra reached out to local business owners and community partners in Brighton to ask if they could help. In just a few short days the community filled her Dad’s truck with everything from clothes, shoes, work boots, free meals, gift cards and personal care needs! She even found out the couple’s favorite Girl Scout cookie and made sure to include a case of Thin Mints. By mobilizing her idea of First Responders Jr and seeking community support the young couple was able to begin the process of rebuilding!