PRAIRIE GROVE, Ark. — July is Disabilities Pride Month. It’s a month to celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark law that extends civil rights protection to people with disabilities and assures that all Americans benefit from their talents.
5NEWS had the chance to sit down and talk with Allison Bond, an amazing 25-year-old woman born with mild cerebral palsy and some developmental impairment.
She says while some may think disabilities would hold you back, they don’t. And she’s proving that daily, letter by letter.
“I was out of school for two weeks or more because a lot of people had COVID at school and I was like, 'I'm going to make a difference in this world by writing a bunch of letters to people.'"
It was that random thought a little over a year ago that started her mission: Kindness Through Letters.
“Well, I started with writing prisoners and soldiers,” Allison said.
It didn't take long to realize she was making a difference.
“It was awesome seeing the first letter back, the first one they wrote. I have one framed from a soldier he had all of his battle buddies sign it, so I framed it so I could put it up,” she said.
In the 14 months since she started sending letters, Allison's kept every response she's gotten back, which is quite a few considering she's written over a thousand in total.
“I’m just trying to make people's days a little bit brighter,” she said.
It's the encouragement Allison's grandma gave to her before she passed away. “She told me to keep doing something good."
Allison's mom Cathy said growing up, her daughter hated writing.
But now it's more than just a hobby, it's a way to connect with others.
“I enjoy making people happy and spreading God’s love to people who may not feel it otherwise,” Cathy said.
Spreading love to not only strangers but those closest to her as well.
“It makes her really happy and it makes me really happy too to see her happy,” Cathy said.
As of now, Allison has 600 letters written that she’s about to send out to people. She said she writes something different in each and her goal is to one day reach everyone in the United States.
If you want to learn more about Kindness Through Letters or help with Allison's mission, you can visit the movement's Facebook page which has her social media pages and a wish list where you can help purchase stationery.
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