Woman of Merit

List of Recipients

1990-1992 Dr. Frances Roberts

1992-1994 Marlys Sutton

1994-1996 No recipient

1996-1998 Kathryn Tucker Windham

1998-2000 Barbara Joiner

2000-2002 Emily Harrison

2002-2004 Maribel Cassity

2004-2006 Dr. Condoleeza Rice

2006-2008 No recipient

2008-2010 Kathryn (Kat) Hire

2010-2012 Nina H. Reeves

2012-2014 Mary Ann Neely

2014-2016 Jean Sasson

2016-2018 Elizabeth Huntley

2018-2020 Daphne M. Johnson

2020-2022 Drew Ann Long

THE STORY. THE VISION. THE MISSION.

Caroline’s Cart is a shopping cart created for special needs children. It provides parents and caregivers a viable option to transport a child through a store while grocery shopping, without having the impossible task of having to maneuver a wheelchair and a traditional grocery cart at the same time. It is named after Caroline, the special needs daughter of Drew Ann and David Long.

Drew Ann Long saw the need for Caroline’s Cart after realizing her daughter would outgrow a typical shopping cart. Knowing what was needed, she founded Parent Solution Group, LLC, designed the cart, applied for a patent, and enlisted the services of legal and business professionals to help her bring the cart to market.

Her mission was to make Caroline’s Cart available to retailers everywhere, providing a quality product for special needs children that further enables their participation in mainstream society with their family through the common activity of grocery shopping. There was only one place that shared her dream and had the technical know-how to make a cart worthy of her daughter’s name. That company was Wanzl North America.

Caroline’s Cart has now become a reality. Retailers such as supermarkets, hypermarkets, shopping centers, and malls offering Caroline’s Carts will provide a valuable service to the families of over 1 million severely disabled children in the US. These customers will find shopping to be easier, and the goodwill they feel toward their store will translate into customer loyalty.

Drew Ann’s hope is that one day all retailers will provide an equal opportunity shopping experience for parents and caregivers of special needs children by furnishing them the option of a Caroline’s Cart. All families deserve to have this option, so they can enjoy the freedom of shopping with their special needs child.

I am a committed child advocate and passionate litigation attorney and practice law at Lightfoot, Franklin & White, LLC in Birmingham, Alabama. On regular basis I serve as a motivational speaker throughout the country and share my inspirational story of an Alabama woman who overcame nightmarish events and tremendous adversity during her childhood to become a successful attorney, motivational speaker and member of the Auburn University Board of Trustees.

In my memoir ‘More Than A Bird’ I recount my childhood. I was born in the violent Butler Terrace housing project in Huntsville, Alabama, but raised in my grandmother’s home in Clanton, Alabama, following my mother’s suicide. My book begins with the death of my mother and the incarceration of my father. From there, it details my emotional journey living in poverty and being sexually abused by my uncle, and profiles the men and women who I believe God placed in my life to mentor me and help me meet my full potential. More Than A Bird follows me through my high school graduation and ultimately my enrollment in college.

When I was eight-years-old, my pastor inspired me with a simple message: If God takes care of the birds, He will take care of me because I am more than a bird. His sermon gave me hope and guided me through some of the darkest days of my life. I want my story to let children in similar situations to mine to know that they can reach their dreams, and to encourage more adults to become advocates for them like so many did for me.

A portion of the proceeds from More Than A Bird will support efforts to advocate for the expansion of Alabama’s high-quality, voluntary pre-k program, and to enhance the quality of life for children and families across the nation through various other programs. Taken from Liz Huntley's website: Liz Huntley

Alabama 2016 Woman of Distinction - Jean Sasson

Jean Sasson is from the small town of Troy, Alabama. As a child she loved animals and reading. Coming from a poor family, she never owned a book of her own until she was 14 years old. In 1978 Jean moved to Saudi Arabia where she worked in the royal hospital of Riyadh. Although she only planed to live in Saudi Arabia for two years, she met and married Peter Sasson and lived there 12 exciting years. She has flown over the world three times meeting the people she writes about.

She has published twelve books including the international best-selling book, Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia - and Growing Up bin Laden, the true story as told by bin Laden's wife and son.

"And, I'm happy to say that my love of reading is not my only pleasure. My love of reading has borne a twin, and that twin is writing. And so long as there are human beings whose lives are so compelling that I am willing to sit in front of the computer for months on end to tell their stories, I will continue to do so."

- Jean Sasson

For more information about Jean Sasson, or to read her blog visit her webpage: www.jeansasson.com