About Macyn's Jars
Why we started
On February 5th, 2021 our family received shocking news that Kellyn had been attacked by a dog while babysitting.
She was taken by ambulance to Huntley Hospital and quickly transferred to Chicago because the bridge of her nose was gone.
A few days later we started a go fund me to help mitigate the expenses that Kellyn and her husband Alec would endure during the following months. We didn’t want her to have to worry about her mortgage, groceries or medical copays during this time - we wanted her to focus on healing and getting ready for her next surgery.
That go fund me opened our eyes to the generosity of our community. We knew that our friends and family supported us but when it mattered, the entire community rallied to support our girl. It was an incredibly humbling experience.
Kellyn moved on through surgeries, procedures, counseling sessions and doctors visits downtown. Today her scar remains but she has done the work to heal from the inside out.
As a family we want to give back to the community and to those who find themselves in a moment that they didn’t expect - at the hospital emergency room.
Kiara (Kellyns twin) works at a local Hospital Emergency Room and knew just how impactful it would be to provide a small comfort (or “silver lining” as Kellyn would say) to the children or adults with intellectual disabilities that find themselves needing emergent medical assistance.
We are thankful to have the opportunity to give back to and hope that those who twist open a Macyn’s Jar realize that are part of a community that cares for each other.
What we do
Our goal is simple - provide a small silver lining in an otherwise cloudy day.
We do this by providing Macyn's Jars to 10 area hospital emergency departments.
Macyn's Jars are plastic jars that contain "fidget style toys". The jars are designed to be given to children over the age of 3 and special needs adults.
We source safe materials, pack the jars and deliver them to the hospital for distribution.
In addition to the fidgets inside the jar, there is a card that includes the name of the person or company that provided the financial support to fill the jar!
Our Team
Our board is made up of Kellyn VandeWalker, Kiara Ritchie, Kyla Carey, Kierstin Carey and Kendell Carey.
In addition to the board we have a group of trusted advisors who are paving the way and teaching us how to run a non profit while we juggle our daily responsibilities.
