Ward Hocker & Thornton had the opportunity to donate to and attend Jarrett’s Joy Cart’s 20th Anniversary Celebration, which was held this past weekend at the Aviation Museum of Kentucky. Jarrett’s Joy Cart is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization, which is directed by Jarrett’s Parents, Jennifer and Doug Mynear, and a host of dedicated helpers, including, WHT attorney Tucker Willis and his wife Ashley.
Jarrett’s Joy Cart, founded in 1999, has continued to touch the lives of tens of thousands of children from all across Kentucky and beyond. Jarrett was diagnosed with cancer six times from two years old until he succumbed to the disease at age 13. As a patient himself, Jarrett knew long days at doctor visits and stays in the hospital could be boring, scary, and depressing. For this reason, at the tender age of 9, he started Jarrett’s Joy Cart in 1999, a program that offers moments of JOY to children in various types of crisis situations. The Joy Cart’s services and outreach has reached tens of thousands of kids with the signature outreach activity of weekly visits to Kentucky Children’s Hospital, and has grown to include:
- $125,000 endowment to the Kentucky Children’s Hospital Pediatric Advanced Care Team (Palliative Care) for an ongoing Sibling Support System
- Education & Empowerment: Provide KCH Specialty Outpatient Clinics with disease specific fun, educational materials to learn about their diagnosis & care in an age-appropriate way
- Family Resource Center Donation: $10,000 for fun, educational materials, models, computer programs, mobile iPad stations & more for the KCH Family Education Resource Center assisting young patients & their families in understanding the medical challenges they face
- Distraction: You name it, JJC provides it to make long clinic visits for patients at the KCH DanceBlue Hematology/Oncology Clinic a positive experience
- Holiday Cheer: The annual December Jarrett’s Joy Cart Holiday Store at KCH, where patients get to shop for loved ones with the aid of a personal shopper. All gifts are beautifully wrapped, tagged, and tucked in a shopping bag for their special holiday surprise, all free of charge.
The anniversary event consisted of a great night of dancing, silent auction, games, and more in the spirit of the joy and fun of Jarrett Mynear’s honorable cause and for the purpose of ensuring his legacy continues to live on.
Visit thejoycart.com to learn more about this notable cause.
