An interview with the Caboose Fund’s First Donor

Former MVCS Student Stella Matsdorf tells us why she wanted to help restore the Caboose!

Interviewed by Evan Wilson
The Caboose Fund | August 2026

Stella Matsdorf is a former Mount Vernon Community School (MVCS) student and a rising sixth grader at George Washington Middle School. Stella was the very first person to donate to the Caboose Fund. Evan Wilson spoke with her about her connection to MVCS, why she decided to support the caboose, and why she believes kids can make a difference in their communities.

Evan Wilson: Tell us a little about yourself. What grade are you going into, and what are some things you enjoy doing?

Stella Matsdorf: I'm going into sixth grade. I enjoy helping out the community, volunteering, reading, writing, and, most importantly, playing with my dog.

Evan: What kind of dog?

Stella: She is a bulldog-beagle kind of thing.

Evan: And what is your connection to Mount Vernon Community School?

Stella: Me and my sister both went there from kindergarten to fifth grade, so it's always been a part of us. We also went to Rec, so that was part of it.

I've probably passed by the caboose hundreds and thousands of times. I've always said to myself, "Why do they have a caboose here if we can't even use it?"

Once I heard they were doing this caboose thing where we could help the caboose, I was like, "Oh my God, this is like my childhood dream. I want to help this out."

So I asked if I could volunteer. That's all my things mixed together. My parents said yes, so now I'm in the Caboose Fund, and I was their first dollar—and now we have $20,000.

Evan: That's pretty awesome. Since you have such an MVCS history, what is one of your favorite memories from MVCS?

Stella: That's hard. Probably either my first-ever SOL in third grade, leaving fifth grade and Nurse Malone—because I loved Nurse Malone—and all the great teachers there.

And probably Jamestown. Jamestown was a hit for me.

Evan: The Jamestown field trip?

Stella: Yeah. You get to see all the tribes and that stuff. Plus, you get to miss school for an entire day.

Evan: Exactly! So how did you actually hear about the Caboose Fund?

Stella: I live over by Duncan Library, and I was passing by to go to one of my friend's houses. I saw a sign that said something like, "Help your little red caboose."

I popped in and saw someone going in, and I was like, "I want to check this out!"

Then I went back to my house and asked my dad, "Dad, can I have a couple dollars to donate to the caboose?" He said, "Yeah, sure." So he gave me a bit of cash, and I gave it to them.

Then I checked out the entire caboose. I was there for a while, so I started giving tours and showing everyone around because a lot of people started coming in.

Mr. McCone was trying to give all these tours, but there were like 50 people in a small little caboose. He asked if I could help. I said, "Yeah, sure." Then he said, "You did that better than me. Can you please keep doing that?"

So I did. Some of my friends came in, some of my friends' siblings came in, and that was really cool.

The funny thing is, I never actually ended up going to my friend's house that I was supposed to go to.

Evan: You gave all that time to the caboose. That was really nice of you.

Stella: I got there around 11 a.m., and I started leaving at like 5.

Evan: Wow. That's a lot of time to give. What made you decide you wanted to donate your own money and your own time?

Stella: I wanted to donate my time because MVCS has such a connection with me that I wanted to make sure that, even though I'm leaving, there's still a piece of me at MVCS.

When I go off to college and all that stuff, I can be like, "My childhood elementary school—I'll always be there."

I've always passed by the caboose and always wondered about it. So I donated some of my money and a lot of my time because I knew that if I didn't do it now, I would regret it later.

Evan: What were you hoping your donation might help make possible for students at MVCS?

Stella: I wanted my donation to help people who wanted to read after school or stuff like that. Whenever I go after school, a lot of kids go to the library. Maybe we could have another place to hang out—the caboose.

I hope my money can help kids coming to MVCS play and have fun in the caboose. There's also a little upper part that's really nice, where the people would sleep, and there's a lot of history right then and there.

I want kids coming into kindergarten to be able to say, "Mom, I want to go to the caboose! I want to hang out there at school!"

I want to know that if I pass by, I'll see someone saying, "Mom, I want to go on the little red caboose."

Evan: It would be cool if all the kids at MVCS could get to go inside, right?

Stella: Yeah, at least once. The people in my grade who are leaving, and the people who already left, never really got to go into the caboose.

I just want to make it possible for other kids. From what I've heard, it's pretty fun. I've been in there now because of the open house. I just want kids coming into MVCS to be there and have fun and know that my money is going to a good fund.

Evan: How did you feel when you found out that yours was the very first dollar donated to the Caboose Fund?

Stella: I felt pretty amazed and special. I was surprised because I thought a lot of people had already donated to this.

I didn't really notice that I was the first dollar, even though I was kind of the first one there. I was just like, "Wait a minute. Let me go grab money."

Evan: Why do you think it's important for people to give back and help their schools and communities?

Stella: I think it's really important to donate. And I'm not saying you have to donate tens of thousands of dollars. I'm just saying a little bit of money can go a long way.

If you're in a community, there are always people helping. Firefighters help people. I like to give back to the community that I was born and raised in.

If someone asks, "Do you want to round up to help St. Jude's Hospital?" I'm like, "Yeah, I'll help." I know it's just a couple cents, but it could go a long way for someone's family. It could save lives, and it could make people happy.

So I always think it's important to donate if I get the chance.

Evan: Do you think kids can make a difference in their community even if they can't give a lot of money?

Stella: It doesn't matter how much money you give. You don't have to give any money.

You can pick up some trash near your house. If you see an injured animal, call Animal Control. If you see someone fall down, help them up. If you see someone sad, cheer them up.

Just one little smile or smirk can help someone get through their day. Even if they're in the darkest moments, you can get them into the lightest moments.

Evan: If you could choose one thing you'd love to see the Caboose Fund make possible at MVCS someday, what would it be?

Stella: I would want a lot of kids to be able to play in it—not roughhousing, but just chilling there.

I want people, when they grow up, to be able to come back. If I come back from college, I could be like, "Oh, there's that little red caboose that I grew up with."

Sometimes buildings or stuff that people grew up with might get remodeled or moved. But the caboose will probably always be there. Then they can be like, "This is my childhood. This is the one thing that I have left."

Evan: What would you say to another student who is thinking about doing something to help their school?

Stella: I would say that even if you think, "I'm going to do this, and it won't go really well," if you're thinking about it, you should do it.

You never know. I thought I was just going to donate a dollar and volunteer. But now I'm getting interviewed and helping out at Art on the Avenue.

It was just one little thought that got into my mind, and I'm committed to it now. I want to stay with it until I grow up.

So if you're ever thinking about helping your community, always make sure that you follow through with it.

Evan: Now some fun questions. What was your favorite thing about being an MVCS student?

Stella: Probably always coming in, taking the same route, and always seeing Ms. Willoughby. I'm going to miss her, and probably my dog will too.

I loved seeing the teachers and meeting everyone. A lot of people pass by the caboose to get to school.

I just really liked being an MVCS student. This might seem like a little silly thing, but the caboose means a lot to me, so I'm really happy that I got to be part of it.

You and all the other people really welcomed me and made me feel like I had been a part of this for the entire time and didn't just join three-quarters of the way through.

I just loved being an MVCS student. I loved seeing Ms. Hamilton and Ms. Buchanan and all those people out and about, and going to Nurse Malone even if it was just the slightest headache.

Evan: If you were principal for one day and could add anything to the school, what would you add?

Stella: I'm upgrading the bathrooms!

Evan: The bathrooms. Okay—a bathroom upgrade.

Stella: We really need a bathroom glow-up.

I would like stalls that go from the ceiling to the floor, not just halfway to the ceiling and halfway to the floor. I also want locks that actually lock, because with some of the sliding ones, you either have to body-slam it for it to close or they don't work.

We need better cleaning stuff, too. We need Clorox to clean the bathrooms and probably Febreze or something. With all the people running by and all the people in there, it stinks.

Evan: I'll be curious to hear your review of the GW bathrooms.

Stella: I've been in there before, and it's a bit better.

Evan: Finish this sentence: "MVCS is special because…"

Stella: Because not only is it a part of my childhood, it's also a part of the community. A lot of people can come here, and you can learn two languages if you want. You can learn about everyone's backstory.

It's fun to come to school every single day and see all your friends. Now, sometimes I don't like waking up at 7 a.m. to get breakfast!

But once you get into school, you're like, "Oh, all my friends are here." And the school day passes by like that.

At first, sometimes I didn't really like my teachers, and then once I realized that I was leaving them, I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay. I loved them.

Evan: Last question. Years from now, when you're a grown-up and someone reminds you about the Caboose Fund and about being its first-ever donor, what do you hope you remember about it?

Stella: I hope I remember everything. But if I could only remember a couple things, I would want to remember all the community coming together to help this one little part of the community and helping make school more fun for kids.

Even though I was the first donor, it felt like a bunch of people came together. Once people realized what was happening, they were like, "Let me donate."

Because even if it's just a couple dollars, it adds up. And then we have enough money to do what we wanted to do.

That's what I want to remember.

Evan: Awesome, Stella. You gave great answers. You're an amazing volunteer and donor, and I really can't thank you enough. Somebody has to be first and make that motion happen, and in this case it was you. Thank you for stepping up, for your enthusiasm, and for being part of the very first Caboose Fund newsletter.

Stella: Thank you for having me.