WGN TV 2026 Remarkable Woman Award

Our co‑founder, Ali Barnum, is being honored at WGN Studios as a finalist for the Nexstar Remarkable Woman Award - bringing visibility to limb difference families and the power of community connection.

Every family deserves connection, resources, and a place to belong.

A Moment of National Recognition

Ali’s interview at WGN Studios highlights the lived‑experience leadership at the heart of Limb Difference Collective Foundation. She shared what it means to build community for families navigating limb differences - and why visibility matters.

As part of this recognition, Nexstar is making a donation to support our mission, helping us expand programming, outreach, and family-centered resources nationwide.

This week, Ali will join 125 Remarkable Women finalists from across the country in Nashville for a weekend of learning, celebration, and connection—an extraordinary gathering of women who are transforming their communities.

💛 Our Mission

Limb Difference Collective exists to support families navigating a limb difference diagnosis, or experiencing limb loss, through connection, resources, advocacy, and community experiences that ensure no one feels alone.

🌼 Ali’s Story and Leadership

Ali Barnum is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), business leader, and advocate whose work blends professional expertise with lived experience. Her journey began when she and her husband, Brian, learned during their 20‑week anatomy scan that their son, Tyler, would be born with an upper limb difference. What could have been an isolating moment became the spark for a movement.

As co‑founder of LDCF, Ali helping to build a national network connecting families across the country (and even international). She leads programs like Hugs-in-a-Box, a care package which delivers encouragement, adaptive products, and a reminder of belonging to families across the country. She is the co-host of Parenting Children with Limb Differences Podcast, sharing stories, interviews, and resources on a global stage.

Her leadership aims to extend into clinics, classrooms, and community spaces, where she advocates for person‑first language, inclusive practices, and representation that reflects the lived experiences of limb difference families. She has developed resources for families to help facilitate communication with medical professionals, counselors, teachers, and community programs - bridging awareness, education, and action.

Ali’s professional background strengthens everything she builds. With over 12 years of experience, including serving as a Clinical Supervisor and CEO of her own group practice, she brings empathy, clarity, and evidence‑informed insight to every family she meets.

Her leadership style is collaborative, grounded in social justice, and deeply community‑centered. She turns ideas into systems—programs, resources, and networks that are sustainable, accessible, and rooted in compassion.

🌍 Why Visibility Matters

Families navigating a limb difference diagnosis, a physical disability, but in many cases very able, often face isolation, limited resources, and a lack of representation. Media moments like this help:

• Normalize limb differences and increase public understanding

• Connect families to a supportive, nationwide community

• Encourage inclusive practices in schools, clinics, and community programs

• Strengthen the network of support available to families

This recognition isn’t just about one story—it’s about elevating many.

🤝 Partnering for Impact

As awareness grows, so does the opportunity for meaningful partnership. We collaborate with businesses, medical providers, community organizations, and corporate sponsors who share our commitment to inclusion, accessibility, and family-centered support.

Partnerships help expand our programs—from local meet-ups to national resource distribution—and strengthen the network of care available to limb difference families.

💛 Make an Impact at Any Level

Every gift matters. Whether you’re giving $25 or investing $1,000+, your support directly helps families access connection, visibility, and meaningful community resources.

How your giving supports the limb difference community

• $10 — Helps us customize a stuffed animal with a limb difference.

• $25 — Provides welcome resources to a newly connected family.

• $100 — Supports community programming and local meet-ups.

• $500 — Helps fund family-centered events and outreach initiatives.

• $1,000+ Leadership Giving — Expands national outreach, strengthens programs, and builds sustainable resources for families across the country.

If you’d like to discuss a major gift or multi-level partnership, we welcome that conversation.

✉️ Stay Connected

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