It has been almost eight years since a vivacious 13 year old St. George’s student lost her battle with neuroblastoma.
As Ali was fighting her disease, she would travel to hospitals in Los Angeles, Dallas, New York City and San Diego. She and her mom, Nancy, would travel to hospitals for extended periods of time in unfamiliar cities. When they would return home to Memphis, Ali and Nancy felt more comfortable because they had an incredible support system. It bothered Ali to see other families suffer who did not have such a support system nearby. Ali wanted to make a difference in their lives even when there was tremendous pain in hers.
To carry on Ali’s mission of helping other kids with cancer as well as their families, her friends and family decided to create a foundation. Ali’s Way, Inc., a non-profit organization, has now become a reality. One of the unique qualities of this organization is that it has a Youth Board—who work with the Adult Board in all aspects of board governance—fundraising, program development, grant approval, finances and publicity.