Maisie DeVore

"The only ones among you who will  be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve."

Albert Schweitzer

Maisie DeVore, an 83-year-old Kansas woman, is yet another Scatter Joy hero - in this case, heroine - with an inspiring story. Maisie saw the need in her community for a public pool. She wanted the children in the area to have a place to swim. She wondered how she might take on that monumental project.

So, more than 30 years ago, she started collecting tin cans, crushing them, and turning them into scrap metal for just five cents per pound. She selflessly toiled at her mission, month after month, driving her pickup truck in a 40-mile loop in search of cans. Amazingly, one can at a time, her efforts generated more than $73,000! Thanks to a matching grant, the funding needed to build the pool was now complete. Aptly named "Maisie's Community Pool," and located across the street from her home, the project was completed in 2001. Maisie is one amazing lady! Her dream became a reality because of her ‘can-do' attitude!

Today, she's still at it, collecting 900 pounds of cans each month (now fetching 34 cents per pound) in order to help pay for the pool's maintenance. One more note. Included in the pool's funding was a grant from actress Glenn Close, who starred in made-for-television movies based on the Sarah, Plain and Tall books. Maisie won a part in all three productions after answering the local newspaper's casting call for "weathered farm faces."