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WASHINGTON \u2014 <\/strong>From their Etsy shop and baking business to supporting the LGBTQ+ community, this 19-year-old has created an impactful ripple effect in a short time.<\/span><\/p>\n Maggie Cappiello, who is currently a part-time resident of Washington City, came out as non-binary when they were 17 around the time COVID-19 quarantines started to become part of daily life.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have had that courage to show up for myself let alone anyone else without quarantine, so that\u2019s one good thing I took away from that,\u201d Cappiello said.<\/span><\/p>\n At the time, they talked with their parents about the lack of support for the LGBTQ+ community at their high school in Powell, Wyoming. The staff and students had never heard of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), an organization that offers a safe place with open dialogue for the LGBTQ+ community. <\/span><\/p>\n According to the GSA website<\/a>, clubs are student-ran, typically in a high school or middle school, and provide a safe place for students to meet and talk about issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression, with a goal to end homophobia and transphobia.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI wanted everyone to have that safe place like I had at home,\u201d Cappiello said. \u201cI\u2019m so thankful to have parents, siblings and friends who supported me. But many of my friends that were gay or transgender didn\u2019t have that. They had to go home and make themselves small. I didn\u2019t want anyone to feel like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As a senior in high school with the intention to do something meaningful before they graduated, Cappiello said they got together with a friend and started their own GSA. Alongside their dad as a co-adviser and the band teacher, they worked with the school administrators to get the ball rolling.<\/p>\n \u201cWe fought tooth and nail to make sure that the kids have a safe place to go. Now there\u2019s not only a GSA at the high school that\u2019s flourishing but one in the middle school. It had this ripple effect,\u201d Cappiello said.<\/span><\/p>\n Cappiello said they spent so much time in the dark not being themselves that becoming an active part of the LGBTQ+ community has been liberating. Becoming an advocate for others who may not have a voice is a mission they care deeply about.<\/span><\/p>\n Along with activism, Cappiello is a creative person with many artistic talents. Inspired by knit finger puppets they had when they were age 9, they learned how to knit from a family friend and went on to learn crochet from YouTube videos. <\/span><\/p>\n Cappiello started with knit hats, socks, scarves and purses, and they even added small animals to the list of handmade items.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOn a whim, I made my <\/span>Etsy shop<\/span><\/a>, and it just grew. I took suggestions from others and created all my own patterns. I just took it and ran with it,\u201d Cappiello said.<\/span><\/p>\n As Cappiello\u2019s business, Mag\u2019s Craft Cabin, grew, they decided to take the online shop to the next level by donating to a cause that means a lot to them.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI really wanted to do something with this, as cheesy as it sounds,\u201d Cappiello said. \u201cMy dad always says, \u2018Make your corner of the world a little better,\u2019 and I wanted to do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Cappiello is a supporter of the<\/span> Trevor Project<\/span><\/a>, an organization that helps youth in the LGBTQ+ community in need through a crisis hotline that is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is 100% confidential and free. <\/span><\/p>\n According to its <\/span>website<\/span><\/a>, the Trevor Project is the world\u2019s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSometimes different suicide hotlines aren\u2019t as inclusive. It\u2019s self-started, and I\u2019ve been following them for a while. I just really wanted to do something to support them,\u201d Cappiello said.<\/span><\/p>\n Cappiello began by making pride-themed crocheted caps for Pride month and went on to donate 50% of all proceeds from their Etsy shop to the Trevor Project that month.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPeople really came through, people I knew and people I didn\u2019t. They either donated right to the Trevor Project or bought things for their friends and family,\u201d Cappiello said.<\/span><\/p>\n Along with their handmade items on Etsy, Cappiello has been heavily involved in culinary arts. At age 15, their teacher signed them up for a SkillsUSA commercial baking competition. Cappiello won the state contest and competed in nationals in 2019 and 2021 (there was no competition in 2020 due to COVID-19). They sold their baked goods to fellow classmates, known for their <\/span>cakes, tarts, cookies and muffins, along with taking special requests.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something that I not only do to relax, but making things is a really big way that I show people I care and that I love them,\u201d Cappiello said.<\/span><\/p>\n Cappiello lives in Washington City in the summer and will soon return to Michigan State University as a STARR Scholar, a merit-based award that covers all expenses for four years. <\/span>With a major in nutrition and a concentration in global health, they plan to keep the Etsy shop open and bake frequently.<\/span><\/p>\n Cappiello would love to become more active in the St. George LGBTQ+ community and said there is \u201cnever not a need,\u201d especially in conservative areas.<\/span><\/p>\n They plan to continue educating others about the Pride community while offering a safe place for those in need.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a lack of education. That\u2019s where others\u2019 fear comes from,\u201d Cappiello said. \u201cI just want to help others the way my support system has helped me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n To see Cappiello\u2019s online Etsy shop, <\/span>click here<\/span><\/a>. Follow <\/span>Mag\u2019s baked goods<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Mag\u2019s Craft Cabin<\/span><\/a> on Instagram. <\/span>Visit <\/span>utahpridecenter.gov<\/span><\/a> for local programs, resources, educational training and more.<\/span><\/p>\n Photo Gallery\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Maggie Cappiello smiles for the camera outside their parents’ home in Washington, Utah, August 9, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Maggie Cappiello poses with parents Vin and Lisa and siblings Gabbie and Sara, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Maggie Cappiello stands with parents Vin and Lisa at high school graduation, Powell, Wyoming, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Maggie Cappiello and friend Bailey Philipps pose in the high school classroom where they founded a GSA chapterl Powell, Wyoming, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Handmade products by Maggie Cappiello are laid out on display, Washington, Utah, August 9, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A handmade cow is available on Maggie Cappiello’s Etsy shop, benefiting the Trevor Project, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A crocheted cactus done from Maggie Cappiello’s own pattern, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A handmade giraffe is available on Maggie Cappiello’s Etsy shop, benefiting the Trevor Project, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Crochet socks by Maggie Cappiello’s are shown for sale on Etsy, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A handmade ladybug is available on Maggie Cappiello’s Etsy shop, benefiting the Trevor Project, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Maggie Cappiello poses with sister Sara in hand-knit scarves, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A vanilla-based cake with chocolate buttercream and sliced strawberries by Maggie Cappiello is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Cream puff swans by Maggie Cappiello are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rainbow everything bagels by Maggie Cappiello are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Maggie Cappiello, St. George News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Maggie](\"https:\/\/www.stgeorgeutah.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_7811-scaled.jpg\")
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