GUMBO | AWARENESS
Krewe of Kindness An organization founded in 2018 uses Mardi Gras magic to promote special needs inclusivity in Coastal Alabama. text by JILL CLAIR GENTRY • photos by MIKE DUMAS, MD IMAGE ARTS
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ardi Gras in Mobile is a time to celebrate. People make time for weeks of revelry — parades, music, king cake, balls, beads, MoonPies and a general sense of excitement flood the city. Over 40 mystic societies operate year-round, planning festivities, floats and social events. But one krewe, established in 2018, channels the energy and spirit of Mardi Gras for more than just fun. The Krewe of Kindness, founded by Jenni and Michael Zimlich, hosts an inclusive ball each year to raise funds that improve the quality of life and meet the nonmedical needs of families, individuals and children with physical disabilities and other special needs. The nonprofit’s first ball in 2019, held at the Pillars in Midtown, raised over $15,000. The Krewe of Kindness used the funds to install over 100 feet of beach access mat at Dauphin Island’s West End Beach. Since then, the organization has purchased an additional 270 feet of mat in partnership with the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, has supported local and national wheelchair athletes, has donated hundreds of pillowcases to USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital and has made it possible for students with special needs to attend Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Sea Stars, a three-day buddy camp for students with special needs.
18 mobilebaymag.com | february 2022
Above The 2019 Krewe of Kindness Ball was themed “Have Courage and Be Kind,” a nod to “Cinderella.” Left to right: 2019 King Gavin Sims with mom Jennifer Moore; 2019 Queen Delaney Zimlich with mom Jenni Zimlich.
“We don’t just do one thing,” Jenni says. “Think about organizations like Junior League — we have so many initiatives, but it all boils down to one central focus.”
Inspiration Jenni and Michael know firsthand what it’s like to care for a loved one who needs accommodations to enjoy a world that is designed for people without disabilities. In 2006, their daughter Delaney was born with spina bifida, which didn’t show up on an ultrasound during Jenni’s pregnancy. “The day she was born, the doctors were
looking and said, ‘Oh wait, we are doing a C-section right now,’ and from then on the surprises never stopped,” Jenni says. As she and Michael learned all they could about spina bifida, they realized how little support existed for families like theirs. Sixteen years later, they are doing their part to create a more inclusive community for their daughter and other individuals with disabilities who want a rich, fun, involved life. “What we’ve seen as Delaney has grown is there is so much for small children — there are so many great initiatives with playgrounds and really great therapies — but
