In their advocacy, students of Shelly’s Voice, including Aldrich, organized events, board meetings, community meetings, peaceful protests, lobbied lawmakers, and raised $25,000 from their appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show.
Madison Aldrich, 2021-2022
Madison Aldrich, a first-year student from New Palestine, Indiana, is the recipient of the 2021-2022 John Henry Weidner Endowed Scholarship for Altruism in recognition of her commitment to social justice issues and voluntarism.
Aldrich, a Psychology and Political Science major, is recognized for her advocacy with Shelly’s Voice. Shelly’s Voice was created by five high school students, including Aldrich, after their beloved Director of Guidance faced employment discrimination due to her same-sex marriage while employed at a Catholic high school. In response, these students formed this LGBTQ+ nonprofit advocacy group with the mission of providing holistic programming, responsible advisement, improving resources to LGBT Community Centers, and striving for the LGBTQ+ community’s full equality in social life, particularly within communities of faith. In their advocacy, students of Shelly’s Voice, including Aldrich, organized events, board meetings, community meetings, peaceful protests, lobbied lawmakers, and raised $25,000 from their appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show. As a result of her involvement with Shelly’s Voice, Aldrich intends to become a civil rights lawyer.
The Student Sociology & Criminology Association (SSCA) annually selects the recipient of this annually. “We always have a number of impressive candidates for this award,” said Ashley Hutson, SSCA faculty advisor. “Despite the limitations of COVID-19, many Butler students have continued to contribute to their communities and the world, more broadly, demonstrating an ethic of altruism. Butler students offer a constant reminder to be optimistic toward the future.”