New bubble exhibit at Mississippi Children’s Museum-Meridian honors Allie Carruth
Published 12:30 pm Wednesday, August 11, 2021
- Bill Graham / The Meridian StarWilliam, Bill and Leslie Carruth were on hand for the unveiling of a new bubble exhibit honoring Allie Carruth at the Mississippi Children’s Museum-Meridian on Monday. The installation is made possible though a $10,000 donation from The Allie Carruth Foundation.
August 9 has always been a special day in the Carruth household, and Monday was no exception.
Bill, Leslie, and William Carruth marked little Allie’s 11th birthday at The Mississippi Children’s Museum-Meridian with a $10,000 donation from The Allie Carruth Foundation.
Allie Carruth was six when she died in an accident in 2017, but her memory lives on through her family’s commitment to honoring her legacy through their financial contributions to the community.
MCM celebrated Allie’s memory with the opening of an outdoor installation called the bubble exhibit.
“Allie Carruth exuded joy, wonder, creativity, and it spread like wildfire wherever she went,” said Liz Wilson, Executive Director of MCM-Meridian. “Her generosity of spirit lives on in this new permanent exhibit made possible by the Allie Carruth Foundation. Bubbles have always fascinated the young and the young at heart, but in true Allie style, this new exhibit is larger than life with the ability for children to create the biggest, brightest bubbles.”
Leslie Carruth, Allie’s mother, described the exhibit as the perfect activity for children of all ages.
“We are so proud to make this contribution,” she said. “The museum was in the beginning stages right before Allie’s death. Our family was so excited about the venue. We just felt it was important to honor Allie and our community with this gift.”
Olivia Lewis, a sixth grader at Lamar School, and her sister Caroline, a fourth grader, enjoyed the exhibit on opening day.
Olivia, one of Allie’s friends and classmates, said she believed Allie would also have loved playing with the bubbles.
“We enjoyed playing and eating popsicles, so I think we would have had fun coming to the museum to have fun with the bubbles,” she said.
Wilson explains, “Even with the challenges of supply and demand, the Ohio-based fabricator of this exhibit, Momentum Interactive, was able to deliver the exhibit Sunday evening, so that we could celebrate with Allie’s family and friends on what would have been her eleventh birthday, Monday, 8.9.10.”
