I am the mom of two train-obsessed children, one of whom has severe autism. Trains are what has brought my neurotypical child and his autistic brother together. My neurotypical son wants to "run the MBTA and fix it for good" because of his love of toy trains. (And heaven knows we need that!) My autistic son has bridged gaps with his brother and other neurotypical kids because of trains.

My project would be to have the first-ever "Ipswich Train Cafe." An event where kids and adults of all ages and abilities can gather and admire and play with trains. We would set up a model train display or two (one that we own, one from a local volunteer), and then have wooden train layouts for kids and adults to play with. Quite importantly for all the moms out there, there would be coffee for the adults.

The aim of the Ipswich Train Cafe would be to show the community that no one is too old to play with trains. Also given that many neurodivergent people also like trains, it would be an accepting and welcoming place for those adults and children to celebrate something they love.

This event would be free to the Ipswich community. This is important because so many train-related activities in the area (Wenham Museum, Museum of Science's holiday train exhibit, the Wilmington Train Show) have admission costs that prevent families with tight budgets from attending.