#MeaningfulMonday - Meet Sam with The Maddog Strong Foundation!

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, we're featuring high school and college students that are giving back to their communities through the arts as part of #MeaningfulMonday!

Meet 20 year-old Sam Grobmeier, a student from New York University helping out an organization called The Maddog Strong Foundation.

Want your work to be recognized? Want to shout out the charity/foundation you're proud of? Fill out the form HERE to be featured on BroadwayWorld!

What does The Maddog Strong Foundation do?

Their goal is to educate teens and their families about the value of organ and tissue donation, showing them why having that important conversation about their decision to be a donor can ultimately benefit the lives of others.

How did you get involved?

My parents and I started this foundation after my younger sister passed away from an unexpected asthma attack the day after her 18th birthday. I am currently the social media manager and produce video PSA's for the foundation.

What inspired you to start this opportunity?

In March of 2019 she was in a really bad roll-over car accident. The paramedics and police said it was a miracle that she walked out alive from it, let alone with just some bruises and scratches. After that accident, she sat my parents down and told them that if something bad like that car accident were to happen to her again, she wanted them to know how important it was for her to be an organ donor. 3 months later, we honored her wishes. This wasn't a coincidence... It was a calling. We knew this was what she wanted us to do. We're able to keep her memory alive while trying to save many more lives. It means so much.

Share a fond memory from working with The Maddog Strong Foundation!

This past December, I performed and produced in a benefit concert for our foundation. The NYU New Studio on Broadway Musical Theatre Class of 2022 performed in a benefit concert in New York City called "Heart to Heart". We had over 60 musical theatre students performing an array of genres: Rock, Pop, R&B, Folk, Country, Jazz, and more! We raised over $4000 for The Maddog Strong Foundation! My heart was so full & I am forever grateful for the amazing support system and family that I have in my NSB class. My sister was up there smiling so hard at what we were able to do. Grateful is truly an understatement.

What does giving back mean to you?

If we aren't giving back, what are we doing? If I can make a difference in someone's life in any way, I feel unbelievably lucky. Giving back is, in my opinion, truly the best thing anyone can do.

What does performing arts mean to you?

As a drama student, the arts are unbelievably important to me. But what's even more important is using our art to create change and bring important topics to light. I am so lucky to use my art to promote organ donation education and other issue I strongly advocate for. We have a power that no one else has and using it for good is the most important thing to me.

Learn more about the foundation by clicking HERE.

Are you a high school or college student involved in arts-related charity work? Want our readers to learn more about the foundation/charity you're doing work with? Share your story with us and you'll be featured on BroadwayWorld!

Fill out the form HERE to be featured on BroadwayWorld!