© 2026 ABC News

The Mattie J. T. Stepanek Foundation has been founded in his memory. Jeni Stepanek, who is a senior faculty specialist at the University of Maryland, leads the foundation.

\"PHOTO:
Matt Houston/AP, FILE
PHOTO: Mattie Stepanek, 11, and his mother, Jeni, are shown at their home in Upper Marlboro, Md., Nov. 5, 2001.
>

On its website, it reads that it exists \"to further Mattie's message of hope and peace.\"

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/US/peace-day-declared-honor-young-poet-delivered-inspirational/story?id=56592063","legacySlug":"/news/story/peace-day-declared-honor-young-poet-delivered-inspirational-56592063","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"19:19","publishDate":"07-15-2018","updatedTime":"01:56","updatedDate":"07-16-2018","socialImage":{"alt":"Mattie Stepanek, 11, and his mother, Jeni, are shown at their home in Upper Marlboro, Md., Nov. 5, 2001. Mattie has fought a battle with Muscular Dystrophy most of his life, but has managed to become an accomplished poet along the way. Jeni Stepanek also has the disease, which claimed the lives of three of Mattie's siblings.","credit":"Matt Houston/AP, FILE","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/mattie-stepanek-jeni-stepanek-1-ap-jt-180714_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"7/15/2018 19:19:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":56592063,"headline":"'Peace Day' declared for boy who inspired people","mediaAssetTitle":"CRUZ_Mattie Stepanek_20180714","description":"Mattie Stepanek, who had a rare form of muscular dystrophy, died when he was 13.","duration":"11:53","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/07/180715_vod_gma_2001_carter_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["136522197","136167797","136138471"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"September 17, 2026","headline":"Travis Kelce victimized by Ponzi scheme, prosecutor says","section":"News","slug":"/video/136522197","id":"136522197","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Travis Kelce victimized by Ponzi scheme, prosecutor says","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Travis Kelce victimized by Ponzi scheme, prosecutor says","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"September 3, 2026","headline":"Staffer injured, gunman dead in shooting at VA elementary school ","section":"News","slug":"/video/136167797","id":"136167797","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Thomas VA. Shooting","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Thomas VA. Shooting","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"September 2, 2026","headline":"US launches new strikes on Iran amid gas price crunch for Labor Day","section":"News","slug":"/video/136138471","id":"136138471","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: US launches new strikes on Iran amid gas price crunch for Labor Day","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: US launches new strikes on Iran amid gas price crunch for Labor Day","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"'Peace Day' declared for boy who inspired people","description":"Mattie Stepanek, who had a rare form of muscular dystrophy, died when he was 13.","duration":"11:53","uploadDate":"07-15-2018","publication":"07-15-2018","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/07/180715_vod_gma_2001_carter_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/07/180715_vod_gma_2001_carter_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/peace-day-declared-honor-young-poet-delivered-inspirational-56592063"}},"playlist":[{"id":"136553132","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136553226","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136557362","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136480407","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136499152","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136340119","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136351654","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136345786","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136309285","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136312798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136301180","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136298965","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136281904","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136272199","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136258585","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136253720","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136206646","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136207221","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136153308","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136187449","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"'Peace Day' declared for boy who inspired people","pubTime":"15:19","pubDate":"07-15-2018","modTime":"21:56","modDate":"07-15-2018","taxonomyTags":"none","id":56592063,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"'Peace Day' declared for boy who inspired people","mediaAssetTitle":"CRUZ_Mattie Stepanek_20180714","videoId":56592063,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/peace-day-declared-honor-young-poet-delivered-inspirational-56592063"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/56592063","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/56592063","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};