Maddi in Motion
It would seem that a busy mother of four with a career as a police officer in the Raleigh Police Department would have very few minutes to spare during the day. Still, board member Madeline “Maddi” Horner makes volunteering a priority. For Officer Horner and The Partnership, the results are a win-win. Maddi recognizes the pressing weight of this duty, perhaps more than most. She witnesses the daily consequences of homelessness in her role as a police officer. In turn, our community’s homeless issues shape her understanding of our residents and inspire her to be a more engaged officer.
The Partnership is grateful Maddi chose to join our board and lend her wisdom. She recognized the importance of serving with the Partnership as an extension of community outreach and an opportunity to broaden the board’s perspectives on homeless issues. Officer Horner shares that her participation helps round out the board and provides additional ideas others may not consider because law enforcement brings its own specific experience in dealing with community matters. “It allows us to be a part of community outreach and be invested partners with other stakeholders of the community. We bring a more uncommon view of some of the issues.”
Officer Horner’s role on the board has been two-fold. First, not only is she able to bring a unique life experience perspective, but Maddi remarked that her time spent with the Partnership learning about the different programs allowed her to impact the citizens she encounters more proactively. Also, she is more clearly able to “see the value of making more intimate connections with my clientele, be more of a community officer, and really engage in the community in a way that I hadn’t before.”
Madeline ‘Maddi’ Horner
Officer, Raleigh Police Department
Board Member: The Raleigh Wake Partnership to End Homelessness