Our goal is simple - provide a small silver lining in an otherwise cloudy day.
We do this by donating Macyn's Jars to 17 hospital emergency departments, 9 fire stations and 5 specialty offices.
Macyn's Jars are plastic jars that contain 5 different "fidget 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!
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’s inside a Macyn Jar?
Each plastic jar contains 5 different “fidget style” toys for a child or special needs adult to use and take home.
Each jar also contains a small card that tells the patient who donated the funds or goods for their jar!
Long before Macyn was born we knew there would be a Macyn.
During her time leading Best Buddies, Kellyn(Macyn's mom)read a book called "The Lucky Few" by Heather Avis. In a nutshell, Heather and her husband adopted a sweet baby they named Macyn who has an extra 21st chromosome when they found fertility to be a challenge.
After Kellyn read the book, she declared "someday I want to name my daughter Macyn."
Little did we know that we too would be considered "The Lucky Few" - not because our Macyn would be born with an extra chromosome, but because the journey we would all go on with Kellyn would show us what it is like to be abundantly blessed during challenging circumstances.
"Last Saturday I cared for a 4 year old little boy. I can't begin to express how well the Macyn Jar helped him throughout my care for him. I escorted him to his car and his mother ran back in because he was missing a star shaped smiley face... We found it!!! Thank you for sharing your story and thank you for introducing this wonderful jar!"
"I recently was in the ER with my daughter which led to a PICU transfer and we got one of the Macyns Jars. I want to let you know how grateful we felt at that time. And I thought to myself what a good idea, whoever thought of this is so kind. I also work for NM and they posted an article about them coming to CDH which is how I found out it was you! So I just want to personally thank you! It's such a small world. This is truly something that makes a difference to families in the community during a rough experience. Keep going! I plan to pay it forward when I can. Thank you again"
Katie
"As the doctor talked I watched my son so excited to get toys at the hospital and his pure joy when he found out we were able to take them home" Heather
"My 5 year old granddaughter had to take a trip to the ER today. She came home with a Macyn's jar. I am very impressed. Having been involved in Emergency medicine and a first responder for a number of years in Central Illinois, I had never encountered this before. My Granddaughter doesn't have a favorable opinion of going to doctors. This time the Macyn's Jar was a great icebreaker to occupy her." - Norm
"Then her nurse brought in one of your jars and her reaction and joy upon receiving made my heart happier than I could've expected on this day. It truly helped both of us, when it was needed most. Thank you so much for this caring and thoughtful service you've put together. I hope it reaches all the children who need just a little more love and light in their lives."
"Hello!! I'm an ER nurse and I just wanted to say your jars are INCREDIBLE. The kids absolutely love them! And they make such a huge difference in helping the kiddos relax a little bit and have something to help keep their mind off the not so fun stuff. Thank you all for doing this!!!"
There are three ways to help us fill jars!
Donate via venmo -www.venmo.com/macynsjars
Donate items to fill jars via our Amazon Registry(we update this list every month) - https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/2L79R9K7PTOJH
Donate via Donorbox (Button Below)