Back to school shopping is a term kids dread and is often avoided at all costs until the very last second.
However, for the Rubright girls, it is something they cherish and mark off on their calendar thanks to the Anna Foundation for Inclusive Education.
Medford resident AnnaRose Rubright is the eldest of six Rubright daughters. Anna was born with an extra chromosome.
Having Trisomy-21, or Down Syndrome, has a lasting effect on a child’s life, and most schools do anything they can.
However, what many fail to see are the problems these children face in their social lives once they leave school grounds.
“I think that many students take for granted the social opportunities that we have on a day-to-day basis,” AnnaRose’s sister Becca said. “My oldest sister didn’t usually have the friends calling and texting her to hang out on the weekends, go to the mall or sleepover, as my older sister and I did.”
After fourth grade, the phone never rang for AnnaRose, a student who was well liked and treated very well by her peers in school.
“The problem was, it was all ‘in school.’ I think that students just thought AnnaRose had her life and they had theirs. I know a lot of the kids in her grade and I’m fairly certain that had we told them that AnnaRose was never asked to join friends at a movie or go out for a bite, they would have jumped right in there. But how do you start that conversation? It’s really hard, as the family member and as the student with different abilities,” founder of the Anna Foundation, Lin Rubright, said.
The Anna Foundation for Inclusive Education is a grassroots Burlington County organization that is run by many of the eight Rubright family members and has volunteers and supporters in the Medford and Marlton areas, as well as the many surrounding counties.
The organization’s mission is to meet the typical needs of the Trisomy-21 community and to highlight the abilities of individuals with Trisomy-21. The services the foundation provides have been growing, as state and federal funding for education decreases and the need for inclusive education services increases.
The organization began 10 years ago in Marlton. At the time, AnnaRose, the organization’s namesake, was going into kindergarten in Marlton and the Rubright family wanted to support students who had different abilities and were looking to be included in their local schools.
This is when AnnaRose’s family realized she had been doing all her back to school shopping with her parents and grandmothers at local department stores and not with friends in trendy, popular stores.
“Many students with disabilities never have the opportunity to participate in something as simple as shopping with friends at the mall,” Lin said. “We knew there were other students in the community with disabilities who were seeking some independence and fun with friends, without their family members around.”
This is how the idea for the “Mall Haul” came about. The event pairs students with Trisomy-21 with typically developing teen peers for a fun back to school shopping experience with friends.
“Once we realized this, we thought other families might be in a similar situation, especially if they didn’t have younger siblings,” Lin said. “We also know that as parents and families of the students with disabilities, we worry about safety and supervision during events in the community.”
This event provides 40 teens with a safe and supervised atmosphere to make new friends, reduce social isolation and help to end stereotyping by bridging the gaps through education and understanding.
“At this event, we are not only giving students with disabilities the opportunity to go shopping with someone who treats them as an important individual, but we show typical students how fun it can be to interact with their peers, regardless of ability. We teach students to have an open mind and to give others a chance before they pass judgment on them, while simultaneously offering a new opportunity to someone who wouldn’t necessarily have that,” Becca said.
It also enables the Trisomy-21 students to succeed independently through peer modeling. Teens are paired and then go off to eat dinner and get to know each other. They also receive mall gift cards from The Anna Foundation, to go into the mall to shop, bond and then come back to the food court to share their purchases.
“Our event helps parents let go just a little in a safe and enjoyable way that won’t cause too many grey hairs!” Lin said.
In addition, students and their families who have not been exposed so up close and personal to students with different abilities than theirs are given that opportunity.
“Our initial goal was to give our typically developing students a chance to get to know someone who was seen as ‘different’ from them,” Lin said. “We put students in a one-to-one situation with each other for a few hours and the outcome is incredible.”
All the students are partnered as “partners and shoppers.” Younger partners or students who may be new are given chaperones. However, most of the students just head off in the mall together, sometimes even in groups. Security at the mall knows they are there.
The event is held each year in early August when the mall is not as crowded.
“So far we have found that the students are great at handling themselves, trying on clothes and handling their purchases with the store staff. We have been approached by many store employees that tell us they think our event is great,” Lin said.
This year marked the seventh year of the Mall Haul. The event was held at the Cherry Hill Mall, and just like every other year, it was a great success.
When the event first began, it started with eight kids, and this year 40 kids joined and couldn’t wait to get started.
They have also extended the reach of the event to students from Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Atlantic counties, and now have sponsors from all over the state.
“It’s really a ‘wow’ when you think about it,” Lin said. “It is incredible how just this one idea has blossomed into an amazing community event that so many look forward to and love.”
The foundation tries to keep the age limit at 12 or older and sixth grade and up. Anyone who meets this age limit is eligible to participate, but the wait list grows every year because the foundation has to have the sponsorship to support the event.
The foundation is proud to say there hasn’t been a kid left on the wait list in the seven years of holding the event.
“You can’t know what other people are like unless you spend time with them. We’re giving social awareness to so many young people in a fun and inclusive way that also adds a little economic experience to students who may not have had that exposure yet. We really feel like we are hitting all the buttons at once with this event,” Lin said. “These students that help start out thinking they are completing an act of kindness, and learning instead how much they have in common with these ‘other’ students. They build friendships and share laughs.”
For more information about the Anna Foundation or to sign up for next year’s Mall Haul, visit http://www.affie.org.
