About Sawyer

Hello! And thank you for visiting my website!

My name is Sawyer Hendrickson, I am now 15 years old and am from Ludington, Michigan and the Founder of "Miss Sawyer's Kids With a Cause", a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization that is dedicated to "Making A Difference In The Lives Of Our Veterans and Active Duty Military,  "One Smile At A Time"

     My interest in supporting those who Serve Our Country started when I was just 7 years old and my brother joined The Marine Corps. As I started to learn about the Military, I started to realize that our Veterans and Active Military are probably the most forgotten people in this country. I became a child advocate with a deep passion to try and change that.

My mission is very simple: Remember, Understand, and Never Forget  that Our Freedom Isn't Free!

I hope that as you learn more about me, that you will consider donating to my non-profit to help me support the year round projects that I am so passionate about and that are truly Making A Difference In The Live Of Our Veterans And Active Military.

I am the youngest person in the history of our country to earn an individual Gold President's Volunteer Service Award at the age of 7, At age 11

 I earned my  Lifetime Volunteer Service Award for 4000+ hours volunteered. To date, i have earned a  total of 21 Gold President's Volunteer Awards from now 3 sitting Presidents over the course of the past 8 years.

I am an Honorary member of every branch of our Armed Forces and I have also been pinned everything from a Private to Honorary Colonel in our US Air Force to Command Sergeant Major in The Old Guard to Sergeant Major in the Marines Corps.  The only Honor I have yet to receive is a General Star.

In 2017 I started my Christmas Stocking project and  shipped over 2200 Sawyers Stockings to every Marine stationed overseas with my brother not going home for Christmas.  This year was the start of an organization we never even considered. In 2017, I volunteered 1322 hours and started the process to get my non-profit, Miss Sawyer's Kids With A Cause.

 I attend over 100 Veterans based events annually all over the United States.

 I also visit VA Hospitals, Military Bases, Armed Forces Retirement Homes, and Cemeteries Honoring those we have lost.

 I have had the prestigious Honor of laying 14 wreaths to date at The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier, being the escort for the Vietnam Traveling Wall as well as the greeter of our Veterans returning from Honor Flights to Washington DC.

I give speeches and presentations at events nationwide raising awareness of the issues our Veterans face today such as delays and effective healthcare and mental treatment, Homeless Veterans and Veterans Suicide Awareness. If I can help one Veteran have a better day through a handshake and Thank You, or a smile or hug, then I have Made A Difference.

I have spoken in front of Congress as well as The Department Of Veterans Affairs and Department Of Defense.

It is so important to me to make sure our Veterans and Active Duty Military Members know that there is someone out there that truly cares about them and that I am so grateful for the sacrifice they have made for my Freedoms. 

In 2018, we hit a milestone of shipping over 10,000 care packages throughout the year and sent 5588 Sawyer's Stockings to our Troops. September 2018 

I was granted 501c3 Nonprofit Status for my organization. We created a board of amazing volunteers and supporters that would ensure that my mission continues.

In 2019, I was invited to be a keynote speaker for the final Rolling Thunder Ride For Freedom in Washington DC, I had just turned 10 years old and could not believe they wanted me to speak on behalf of the 2 million people in attendance! I was truly honored and humbled. This year we again shipped/delivered over 10,000 of "Sawyer's Stockings" filled with Holiday Cheer to those who would not be home with their families for Christmas around the world. I personally delivered 1000 of my Sawyers Stockings the week of Christmas to Washington DC and handed them out to Our Wounded Warriors, Department Of Veteran's Affairs, Veterans Serving In Congress and Senate,  Our Nation's Honor Guard, Caisson Platoons, Veteran Staff at Arlington National Cemetery, and The Guards At The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, I was also given the honor to lay my 9th wreath to Honor Our Fallen Heroes for Christmas.

In January 2020 before the COVID shutdowns I was named Fox 17's Pay It Forward Person Of The Year! 

It was such a great Honor and very much a surprise considering there were 11 other adults that were so worthy of this award and I was only 10 years old.

My nonprofit was busier than ever and definitely had to pivot because we couldn't be face to face with people and our volunteers during the covid shutdowns for any type of bake sale or fundraising opportunities but we continued sending care packages to those serving because they were not able to travel. Christmas 2020 we still sent over 10,000 filled Sawyer's Stockings again to those not going home for Christmas. 

In 2021, it was a busy year getting back out in the public, I attended close to 100 events and again was humbled with many volunteer awards from various organizations. I think my highlight and biggest surprise of 2021 was being chosen by the Detroit Lions as their Salute To Service Person and was invited to be on the field during a game and my organization info played on all the giant jumbo trons throughout Ford Field. It was an absolute shock when they presented me with a trip to Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. This year we continued to send care packages, traveled to Arlington for my Roses To Remember Project and back to DC for the National Demonstration Ride For our POW/MIA's Memorial Day Weekend an event now revived by AMVETS, I was a keynote speaker for the event and continue to attend this event in DC each year. We again sent over 10,000 stockings filled with holiday cheer and was quickly approaching the 40,000 sent mark since we started this project to those serving our country and stationed in 70 different countries and the US. Our care package totals jumped dramatically up to 25,000 annually to boost morale of our troops and let them know there are people out there that really do care! 

2022 was another busy year of events, and I attended numerous events and received various awards from Veterans Organizations for my volunteer work. We continued to work hard with our amazing volunteers sending care packages and this year we sent over 11,000 Sawyer's Stockings to our troops around the world not going home for Christmas with their families and friends.

2023 was such an amazing year, our mission never changed, tens of thousands of care packages, Roses To Remember, Events with Veterans, visits to Military bases around the country, AMVETS National Demonstration Ride in DC, events all summer long, but it was a year that definitely surprised me when I was approached by People Magazine to be recognized as one of their  "Girls Changing The World" then I was named Michigan's Youth Volunteer Of The Year by our Governor Gretchen Whitmer and a few weeks before Christmas I was contacted Personally by RET Army Major Pete Hegseth host of Fox and Friends in New York to be on the show and talk about my Sawyers's Stockings Project. None of these things would ever have happened without the support of my amazing volunteers, donors, supporters and those who believe in my mission!

 We hit a milestone in 2023 with our stocking project and bypassed over 50,000 Sawyer's Stockings shipped and delivered around the world since inception of this project in 2017.

2024 has been a bit different for us, my mom had surgery for thyroid cancer which is a long hard recovery that could take up to a year or more for her to be back to "normal" and I had surgery for skin cancer on my chest, thankfully both of us are recovering well but it has slowed us down a little since i cant drive yet and mom cant travel like we have in the past while she recovers. I also am in high school now which really limits my traveling throughout the school year, my education is very important to me and despite continuing to travel for some very important events, I remained an all A student my Freshman year of High School. 

We still with help from volunteers have sent out thousands of care packages, we flew to DC in March for my 8th Annual Roses To Remember Project at Arlington National Cemetery, we stayed semi local and did the Michigan Ride For Freedom with Rolling Thunder's Chapters 1,4 and 5 for Memorial Day, and will be attending some great events this summer as well as fundraising for our 8th Annual Sawyer's Stockings Project coming up this Fall

      My "Sawyer's Stockings" project is my biggest and most expensive project I do each year. It is so rewarding to get pictures and emails and messages from our Heroes all around the world, thanking me for thinking of them when they cannot be with their families. I have a wonderful supportive family, community and amazing grass roots following who have generously helped me with this incredible project as well as my many others throughout the year. 

For the past 8 Years I have I held bake sales and during covid we added online auctions a few times a year, and in 2022 we added our R.E.D. Friday Apparel line of Tee Shirts, Tank Tops and Hoodies to Remember Everyone Deployed and to raise money to annually ship over 25,000 goodie filled care packages to our Troops here in the US and bases located around the World to all branches of service.

100% of my bake sales, auctions and apparel profits fund my care packages filled with goodies to our Troops.

      In addition, I also have my "Roses To Remember" project for the past 8 years. I visit Arlington National Cemetery year March for my birthday and place 2100 yellow roses on the headstones of our Fallen Heroes. The yellow rose stands for "Freedom, Remember and I Care". 

For Memorial Day each year I hand out packets of "Forget Me Not" seeds to those attending events to plant and remember a loved one currently serving our country, or in honor of a loved one lost that re-seed and come up year after year as a reminder. 

     Since March 2018, I also have hand painted along with help from amazing volunteers and personally handed out over 100,000 of my "Hero Rocks" to Our Veterans, those actively serving in our Military and to our Law Enforcement and First Responders to let them know they are indeed Heroes to me and to Thank Them For Their Service And My Safety. My Hero Rocks have traveled the world with many deployed soldiers, are carried daily nationwide by thousands of War Veterans and even have been buried with My Heroes who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for my Freedom. My handmade token of appreciation has made an impact in the lives of thousands of Veterans.

I have had a very different but blessed 2024 so far,

I truly appreciated all of you that have taken the time to learn about my 501(c)3 Non-Profit and to those of you that make a tax deductible donation towards my  projects! With your help we are able to continue to make a difference in the lives of those who serve our country! 

 Thank You For Your Support! 🇺🇸🎅💗