A Home for the Holidays
Payson Roundup — December 31, 2024
Original newspaper clipping from the Payson Roundup, December 31, 2024
How Payson Locals Came to Give a Homeless Man and His Dog a Place to Sleep for Christmas
By David C. Bolla, Roundup Contributor
Matthew Maders and his dog, Cleopatra, can be found most days in the plaza near Safeway. Employees and customers alike greet Matthew Maders by name as they pass him outside Safeway.
Matthew is not just another face on the street. He is a man who has earned the respect of his community through kindness, consistency, and an unwavering bond with his Belgian Shepherd, Cleopatra. Together, they became a fixture of Payson — recognized, greeted, and ultimately embraced by the people around them.
When the holidays came, the community of Payson rallied. They didn't just offer charity — they offered dignity. A home for the holidays. A place for Matthew and Cleopatra to rest, together, under a roof.
"I aspire to inspire people to live and love."
— Matthew Maders
Home at Last
Today, Matthew and Cleopatra have a home in Payson, Arizona. The community that greeted them by name at Safeway helped make it possible. But the mission doesn't end with one success story — it begins with it.
The Payson Roundup article captured a moment. Cleopatra's Paws for Peace is building a movement.
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