GNA CAMPUS –  Mikayla’s Voice is a nonprofit organization founded to include kids of all abilities, but has recently taken a greater purpose.

Mikayla herself was a young girl who never spoke a word. The day she was born, the room was silent because Mikayla didn’t cry. Five days later, her parents and family found out that she was born with a permanent brain injury.

Despite her multiple disabilities putting her apart from the rest, her local elementary school made sure that it was never a struggle for her to be included. Her third-grade class even wrote and illustrated a book called “My Friend Mikayla” – a book about having a friend with a disability.

Being a disabled student surrounded by able-bodied peers, it can be difficult to get by and feel included. This is what Mikayla’s Voice strives to help with.

Mikayla’s Voice strives to bring inclusivity and wants to make all kids feel welcome and valued in their communities. Everybody should want the opportunity to make the types of friends that you will remember, just like Mikayla herself did.

“I promised her before she died that I would make sure that her voice was louder than ever,” said [here, by] Kimberly Resh, mother of Mikayla and founder of Mikayla’s Voice.

‘Kimberly Resh said the goal is to reach out to children and answer their questions. People can be afraid because they aren’t sure what to say or how to act around a person with disabilities, according to Resh. “It can be intimidating to meet someone who seems very different from you,” Resh said. “In reality, they are not very different.’ [via lehighvalleylive.com]

Since 2006, over 8 thousand books have been distributed to schools throughout Pennsylvania via Mikayla’s Voice. Even with Mikayla’s passing, the organization plans to stay active for a very long time to honor and remember Mikayla and many other people like her.

To purchase one of the many books published by the organization, be sure to check out the store section of their website, mikaylasvoice.org.