Felicia Melton-Smyth

February 28, 1967 – May 26, 2008

You couldn’t walk into a room Felicia was in without noticing her. She was just one of those once in a lifetime kind of people, a person who always strove to live her life authentically, for some in Madison’s often overlooked communities she was a Saint. A Local Hero and Madison Original. With her sharp wit, a shady tongue, and her infectious laughter, she was already a force of nature. But when paired with her love of writing and her community, she was someone you just wanted to be around. She was a fierce advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, an avid activist who tirelessly promoted HIV/AIDS awareness and Trans Rights. She was known for her wit, warmth and unapologetic sass. You would often find her working behind the bar at the Shamrock, a local queer bar. Her last name was derived from two friends she had taken care of in their final days during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Their loss fueled her drive, and led her to become the fiercest advocate the Madison Trans and HIV/AIDS communities had ever seen. She loved to write and has been featured in many publications with her wit and sass on full display. Her life was heartbreakingly cut short in 2008, but the joy and love she shared with the world will continue to live on in the people she knew and the community she loved so much. Felicia’s infectious laughter, her bold activism, and her unapologetically authentic spirit will continue to inspire future generations of advocates and troublemakers far and wide.

About the Felicia Melton-Smyth Gift Drive

Since 2002, the Felicia Melton-Smyth Gift Drive has worked to raise funds and collect donations for the clients of Vivent Health (formerly the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin) and their families who cannot afford to purchase gifts for their loved ones. Local hero Felicia Melton-Smyth—honored by Isthmus, Our Lives Magazine, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, and President Bill Clinton for her charitable efforts—began this drive and supported Vivent Health’s clients until her passing in 2008. Dana Crumpton, a longtime volunteer, took up the mantle of the gift drive until his death in 2019. Now, the Mad City Sisters, in partnership with the Shamrock Bar and Grille, strive to continue this important work.

The Felicia Melton-Smyth Holiday Gift Drive is a project of the Mad City Sisters (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit), and all donations are tax deductible.

FMS Gift Drive covered on local News!