Matty was nominated for the contest by his mother, coach, cousin, and family friends, who shared: 

“I don’t know if there’s a way to fully capture what Matty has been through this past year. His dad was out of state for treatment, coming back to Virginia when he could. But it wasn’t stable, it wasn’t predictable, and Matty had to figure out how to navigate life without knowing where his dad fit into it. He was angry, confused, hurt—and still, he pushed through.  

Matty didn’t get the ‘military kid’ experience that comes with yellow ribbons and homecoming celebrations. He got the version where the war follows you home. Where you watch your parent fight battles you can’t see. Where your world is built on waiting — waiting for stability, waiting for the next hard thing, waiting for the day it finally feels normal again.  But here’s the thing about Matty — he didn’t just wait. He kept moving.  He started seeing a counselor weekly, because he knew he needed help working through everything. He was sent to alternative education as a 6th grader, the first one EVER. And instead of letting it break him, he put in the work to get back. He fought his way through, took responsibility for himself, and returned stronger.” 

“Matty raises Holland Lop rabbits for therapy for others, especially other children of wounded soldiers. He travels around the state to offer therapy through the bunnies and talks about his experience and how he and his family has overcome challenges.” 

“The moment that sticks with me the most happened at one of our Bunny Break events last Fall. Matty was surrounded by four younger military kids, all of them carrying their own silent struggles. And instead of just handing them a bunny, he taught them how to hold it, how to snuggle it, how to feel safe for just a moment.  A Hidden Helper, helping other Hidden Helpers. A few weeks later, two of those kids adopted bunnies from our farm. Because of Matty.  

And this wasn’t a one-time thing. At school, he leads by example—coming back from alternative education and showing other kids that your past doesn’t have to define you. He’s become someone that his friends look up to, someone who makes people feel safe, even when he’s still figuring things out himself.  He’s learned how to be the kind of person who doesn’t just survive hard things—he turns them into something meaningful.  Matty isn’t perfect. He’s still growing, still learning, still working through all of it. But that’s what makes his leadership so powerful — he doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out. He just keeps showing up.  And that’s what real courage looks like."