Liz Plachta and her ten-year-old daughter Ruby Plachta have started a scholarship to help people with Down Syndrome go to college. Ruby has Down Syndrome, and when she was born, her mom wanted to do something to help others in the community see their full potential.
When Ruby was just 6 months old, Plachta made a goal to create a $2,000 scholarship. She told CBS News, “I wanted the world to see what I saw in her, which is that she was amazing and capable.”
Plachta created a nonprofit called Ruby’s Rainbow, and in the very first year the family gave out 11 scholarships. Over the course of the last decade, the family has granted $1.2 million in scholarships. “It’s not only for us about the scholarships, but it’s also about the awareness of showing people just how capable people with Down Syndrome are,” said Plachta.
The organization raises all of its scholarship money through fundraising, and is currently accepting applications from people of all ages with Down Syndrome. Plachta says her favourite part about running Ruby’s Rainbow is meeting the scholarship recipients, as well as parents just like her.
Plachta said that Ruby does have to work harder at some things, but she does it with joy in her heart. She says Ruby plans to go to college to become a doctor, and with encouraging words, Plachta tells her daughter, “You can be anything you want to be, my love.”
