Ally Nelson
After her diagnosis with osteosarcoma in 2012, 12-year-old Ally Nelson and her family were surrounded and supported by their church and the Chelsea community. When the bone cancer returned in 2014, the community again stepped up to the plate to help the Chelsea High School freshman pay her medical bills and continue a normal life. Now, Ally wants to use that community support to help other children in the community.
In October, Ally, her mother Christina and their friend Kim Parmley started the Butterfly Project 365, a nonprofit based on the idea of doing an act of kindness every day of the year. Their motto is to “see a need and fill it.” Using donations from the community, they have already filled Christmas stockings with goodies for patients at Children’s of Alabama, given snacks and other items to Kids First, an at-risk mentoring program in Alabaster, and paid for the Christmas gifts for children of several families in need.
The next big project of the Butterfly Project 365 is a benefit concert for Tripp Nichols, a young boy suffering from a genetic disorder causing seizures, developmental delay, reflux, cortical vision impairment and dysphagia. Tripp is fed through a gastrointestinal tube and uses a gait trainer to stand and walk.
The concert will be held on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. at Chelsea High School. Several local artists will take the stage, and there will also be vendors and a raffle. Presale tickets can be bought for $10 via PayPal by emailing butterflyprjgive365@gmail.com. Tickets at the door are $15. More information can be found on the Butterfly Project 365 Facebook page.
