Ali’s Cart - Mini Grant Recipient #2

Alison Brush has lived in Raleigh, NC for over 30 years, and has been living with her disability caused by two brain tumors since she discovered the first one at age 12, she is 54 now. Having undergone multiple surgeries, Alison uses her electric scooter as her primary mode of transport. In May of this year, she began riding around their neighborhood with her neighbor, Rusty. Rusty has Muscular Dystrophy, and so uses a motorized wheelchair to get about. What started as leisurely rides to explore their local greenways and even art museums, turned into meeting a lot of their neighborhood kids, and a lightbulb went off. Alison realized children are genuinely interested in her scooter and her walking stick (she’s legally blind), and they wanted to bombard her with question after question. Patiently answering every one of them, the kids were always left with more knowledge and understanding, and Alison felt a sense of community grow and the power to help bridge the gap for people with disabilities.

“We’re different from them, but we want to reach out to neighbors and say hey! We’re the same as you are! We’re just in different vehicles. We just want them to get to know us, and feel comfortable in a setting with us.”

Ali, Rusty, and a couple of neighborhood kids on their walks.

Ali’s Cart

For Ali’s project, she plans to ride her scooter around her neighborhood with her neighbor, Rusty. The pair will purchase art supplies (Alison used work as an assistant in different nursery schools and was often in charge of the arts and crafts projects), books, games and cards to entertain the kids while on their adventures and provide a safe space for them to ask any questions about the differently-abled they may have.  We asked her a few questions about her goals.

Why Is Ali’s Cart important to you?

“It will help to bring the neighborhood closer, give parents a little break, and it’s something special for the kids to do, too.”

What impact do you expect the project to have?

“Both Rusty and I are handicapped. I am on a scooter and Rusty is in a motorized wheelchair. I believe children should know that we are just like them and want to have fun.”

We are very excited to see how Ali’s Cart evolves, and are stoked to help facilitate the encouragement of sharing love and uniting one another.