Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Plachta.
Hi liz, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I always say that our second daughter came early, tiny and rockin’ an extra chromosome! I didn’t know anything about Down syndrome or anyone with Down syndrome before she was born, but the second I my tiny, perfect little newborn daughter…I knew she was going to change the world. I knew that my heart was forever changed and that I needed to world to see what I saw in her…that she was amazing, capable and WORTHY of it ALL. Once we got home from the NICU, my heart just kept telling me that I needed to do something for this amazing community of people. There was so much for the little guys (early interventions, therapies, etc.) but I was so curious about her future , the possibilities and the opportunities that might be available for her. I wanted her to have the same opportunities as her older sister…a job that she loves, finding love one day, being loved and valued by society and feeling like she matters and is making a difference in this world, and of course…college! So when Ruby was about six months old I looked at my hubby one day and said “I think I want to help someone with Down syndrome go to college.”
At this point I didn’t even know if people with Down syndrome were going to college, but I knew I wanted her to have the opportunity to continue to learn and grow and become as independent as possible after she graduated high school. Come to find out there are programs specifically for people with intellectual disabilities to get the support they need to learn, grown and thrive on college campuses across the nation! My goal that first year after Ruby was born was ONE $2k scholarship, and that year we were able to give out 11 $2k scholarships!! It was then that I knew this was going to be a success because we had people dreaming and believing with us! Dreaming and believing in the value and worth of people with that magical extra chromosome just like my daughter. And not only were they dreaming and believing with us, they were taking it a step further and investing in their futures!
Just like I didn’t know ANYTHING about Down syndrome when Ruby was born, I didn’t know ANYTHING about starting or running a nonprofit…but I had this tiny little determined and perfect human next to me every single day inspiring me and guiding me to make a better, more inclusive world for BOTH my girls. I have been incredibly blessed to have such an amazing community-not just locally- across the nation and the globe loving and supporting our mission to grant scholarships for post secondary education while showing the world just how RAD and CAPABLE they truly are!
Since Ruby was born, we have been able to grant over $3.2 MILLION in college scholarships and had over 25 successful awareness campaigns to continue to raise the expectations of people rockin’ that extra chromosome! When I held that perfect, tiny little baby 14 years ago I could have never imagined all the lives we would be able to touch and students we would be able to help go for their dreams of higher education and independence!!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As I said, I didn’t know ANYTHING about starting a nonprofit (or running one for that matter!) when my heart was leading me to do something for this rad and deserving community. But I took it day by day, and anytime I wanted to give up I looked at this tiny little determined human that to this day is the hardest working person I know. She works SO hard for even the little things we take for granted. And she does it with grace and joy! So there was no option for me to give up! I literally googled “how to start a nonprofit” and went from there!
I think one of our biggest struggles as a nonprofit is just raising enough funds to help as many peeps with Down syndrome go for their college dreams as we can! We have to turn away people every year, and they are ALL deserving of a scholarship! It drives me harder to shout louder and work harder so we can raise as much as we can each year so we can make the biggest impact each year!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
One of my greatest joys of my job is sharing with the world just how amazing and capable people rockin’ it like my Ruby truly are! I LOVE getting to go visit our Rockin’ Recipients and telling their stories in a way that will inspire others to raise expectations, dream bigger and open their hearts to the possibilities! I hold each story we tell near and dear to my heart, and am very intentional about how we share them. I also share a lot about Ruby and her life, because she is pretty darn rad also…and SO FUNNY!! I take pride in EVERY SINGLE thing we share!! And I love sharing what I needed to see when Ruby was born..bringing JOY and HOPE to others!!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I certainly could NOT have done this alone!! My hubby (Ruby’s dad and co-founder) has always been a huge support, especially when I started Ruby’s Rainbow and didn’t know what I was doing! And our supporters truly are the backbone of this organization! Every little bit counts and adds up to do something amazing… and we are truly SO GRATEFUL for all the love and support we receive from people from all over!! Most of our donations come from the loving hearts of people from communities across the nation and it is truly incredible to see what we can do when we all come together to show people with Down syndrome that they matter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rubysrainbow.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubysrainbow/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RubysRainbow
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ruby’s-rainbow/
- Twitter: rubysrainboworg
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RubysRainbow
- Other: tik tok we are @rubysrainbow
Image Credits
Our family photos were done by Isabel Grace Photography
