Madeline Bender is a leader whose work spans stages and gardens with a singular mission: to create spaces where people know they matter.
Madeline’s path to community leadership is rooted in her upbringing. Raised in rural Virginia and Pennsylvania, she grew up in a culture “steeped in peace and justice issues and service to other people,” a foundation that would shape her life’s work.
She first came to New York City to pursue a career in opera, performing at the highest levels and traveling the world for over a decade. Yet despite its success, something was missing. “Being an opera singer was a fantastic experience,” she reflected, “but it would not ultimately bring me the kind of purpose and joy” that her work today offers.
A series of challenges, losses, and health issues, forced a shift. A period of uncertainty and frustration gave rise to something entirely new. Bender began working with a small class of students, to create performances based on their imagination. That small project has evolved into the Creative Stage Collective, where all is grounded in collaboration, creativity, and responsibility to your community.
At the same time, Madeline was among a dedicated team of volunteer gardeners who transformed an empty lot in Harlem into the community hub called Electric Ladybug Garden. Two distinct spaces united by a shared philosophy: people thrive when they are given meaningful opportunities to contribute.
As part of the CitizensNYC grantee network, Madeline sees firsthand what becomes possible when local leaders get the support they need. Across hundreds of projects affecting thousands of lives, she sees people building connection, confidence, and community in ways that ripple far beyond any one program. In her own work, that lesson is clear. Madeline does not describe herself as a born leader, but through CitizensNYC’s support and the growth of her projects, she came to understand leadership as something rooted not in authority, but in connection. “It’s so important to be able to connect with people,” she said, and to help them believe that the work is worth joining.
That bond can have life-changing consequences. Bender recalls moments when the garden community noticed a member’s absence and intervened, ultimately helping them receive critical care. And with the Collective, parents have shared on multiple occasions that their kids participation in the program have saved their lives.
For Madeline, these outcomes are not incidental; they are the point. “We are giving people a sense that they matter.”
In describing the impact of having CitizensNYC as a partner, Madeline returned to the metaphor of the garden.
“CitizensNYC is planting seeds. You put the little acorns in and it grows into something much bigger.”
She sees those seeds bear fruit in every part of her work. Students go on to attend top high schools, discover news paths, and become leaders in their own right. As a member of the network of CitizenNYC grantee partners, she sees the work of hundreds of projects affecting thousands of lives. Madeline shared how the people find connection by pursuing shared goals, forming communities across the lines of age, background, and experience that would not have otherwise existed.
During the pandemic, when in-person performances were not possible, support from CitizensNYC allowed CSC to sustain its work through a period of significant uncertainty. Through this support, CSC was able to reimagine connection through a joyful virtual “Zoomtacular,” bringing together more than 1,000 participants for laughter, creativity, and a renewed sense of purpose. At the garden, CitizensNYC’s support has been equally vital in sustaining and improving an accessible, welcoming space for community members, including the addition of new community growing areas and a patio designed to improve wheelchair access.
CSC’s commitment to treating every troupe member as a vital contributor with a meaningful role to play—not merely a “student”—is reflected in its model: all participation is completely free of charge; the same is true in the garden, where participants contribute time and “sweat equity,” with only very modest fees. CitizensNYC’s support helps sustain this core belief that is foundational to both organizations.
Being named a New Yorker for New York came at a moment when encouragement was especially meaningful.
“It gives you that reinforcement that you are on the right path.”
More than recognition, the honor affirmed the value of work that is often invisible: the long hours, uncertainty, the quiet persistence of building community. Madeline’s work is a true testament that the strength of New York lies in its neighborhoods; in the gardens, rehearsal rooms, and shared spaces where people come together to create, contribute, and care for one another.
