Matt & Ginny Mooney founded 99 Balloons, an organization working with persons experiencing disability. 99 Balloons refers to what was released at the funeral of their first son, Eliot Mooney- each balloon representing a day he spent on this earth. Among the many gifts Eliot brought his parents, was a passion to help persons with disabilities and their families. They desire to change the story of disability by proclaiming the worth and image-bearing beauty of each and every human being.
What began with starting a small respite night called rEcess in their community has grown into a global movement championing relationships and inclusion for persons with disabilities- with now over 45 rEcess sites across 3 countries. Their story and work have been featured on The Today Show, National Geographic and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Together they serve as hosts of Atypical. Matt & Ginny now have three children- including a daughter with profound autism.
Matthew is an attorney but has been known to hide that tidbit of information out of fear that you will ask him for free legal advice. He is an 8 on the enneagram, so please pray for Ginny. He likes to read, talk about his high school basketball skills and wear wireless headphones in public so as to avoid conversations.
In addition to serving with 99 Balloons, Matt speaks, writes and advocates in areas related to our shared humanity and fragility. He is the author of A Story Unfinished- a book written by Matt about Eliot’s life and the lessons God taught them through their son. His work with 99 Balloons has allowed him to be a proponent of inclusive education as well as community inclusion throughout Haiti, Ukraine, Uganda, India and more.
Ginny is no longer afraid to admit to you that she enjoys watching TV. She harbors passion about things that no one else seems to care about (don’t ask her about Uggs) and has not been to a big city that she did not like.
Ginny lives in Fayetteville, AR where she manages the beautiful chaos produced in their home by Lena, Hazel and Anders. She serves at 99 Balloons & loves to connect with and encourage other families, especially mothers, whose journey include atypical routes like her own- with Eliot and Lena.