Scoliosis patients, consisting of 6-9 million people nationally, have unusually curved spines that, alongside visible deformity, may cause arthritis, disrupted breathing, and other health issues. The most vulnerable population are young girls, who are disproportionately affected by juvenile idiopathic scoliosis. Unfortunately, as a patient myself, I experienced the stigma and isolation often associated with deformity.

I started ScoliPoly to address the disjointed nature of the scoliosis community. Our nonprofit initiative is dedicated to demystifying scoliosis and challenging societal stigmas through educational resources, awareness campaigns, and outreach. Currently operating in New Jersey, New York, and two international locations, ScoliPoly’s primary function is to provide informational resources to schools, hospitals, and other youth venues in the chapter area. We are unique in providing a community that is not only catered towards a specific disease and its variations, but also reaches out directly to youth groups, rather than being limited to individual patients.

Our free booklets describe the treatment, symptoms, and implications of scoliosis. Having now distributed over 5,000, I’m thrilled with the impact ScoliPoly has made on girls like me. Our social media, which includes fun facts about scoliosis and Q&A videos with scoliosis professionals, has already reached over 10,000 in views and engagement. We also offer a blog for youth authors (17 unique publications) and an online “wardrobe” of brace-friendly outfit recommendations (24 contributions). The ScoliPoly community of sympathetic and inclusive patients is now, to my immense pride, the exact type of environment I would have thrived in as a newly diagnosed preteen. As we reach out to more locations across our chapter areas, we hope to expand our community of ~15 partnering schools, hospitals, and youth centers.

What our grantee is saying: Receiving the Awesome Disability grant will be no doubt transformative for my project and team. Working out of a small budget, yet remaining committed to providing free access to our resources, ScoliPoly has often struggled to balance the needs of scoliotic community members with our financial limitations. Despite forming partnerships with schools and hospitals in our chapter areas, said limitations have placed delays on our work with them at the expense of thousands of children that lack the information necessary to accurately assess their back health. A single Awesome grant, however, can expand our educational services to up to 5,000 more children. We’re so excited to use Awesome’s generous award to produce new informational pamphlets, streamline our online resources, and reach out to our community’s most vulnerable. The ScoliPoly team is incredibly grateful for the Foundation’s support!