Things Matter. That’s why two young friends have created an organization this year to help families in need during the holiday season.
Jordynn Jenkins and Skylar Beavers started Make a Kid Merry as a way to spread cheer in the face of the pandemic.
So far, Make a Kid Merry has provided 50 families with gifts for the holidays. Sponsors provide a child with toys from the family’s Christmas list or donate a monetary gift. Jordynn and Skylar say it’s more than about gifts, it’s about giving back after they’ve received support in their lives. Learn more about their story in their video to the right.
Jordynn and Skylar rented an iStorage unit from our Mason, OH location for one month to store and wrap the gifts that they collected! iStorage had the opportunity to ask Jordynn Jenkins a little more about their amazing organization and its mission:
Is there anything you’d like to share about why you’ve started this project?
Jordynn: “One thing we didn’t cover very much in the video is how we greatly believe in the power of interconnectedness.
Author Bryan Stevenson writes; “Decide to get closer to people who are suffering, marginalized, disadvantaged, poor. Only in proximity to those who are suffering can we change the world.”
Skylar and I did not come from the most financially secure backgrounds. We know what it can be like to feel uncared for, unheard, and undervalued. Our organization is rooted in this idea of unity through understanding.
With every child we sponsor, we take the time to truly get to know them and provide them with gifts that will be reflective of this. Each gift from Make a Kid Merry is hand-picked and personalized with the hopes that each child leaves feeling not just fortunate to have a new toy, but fortunate to have someone who understands and cares about them and their struggles deeply.”
Tell us about the prep work that goes into Make a Kid Merry.
Jordynn: “We split our project up into a series of 5 parts:
- Pre-work: gathering the families who will be sponsored, finding a unit for storage, and organizing marketing ideas
- Shopping: using the bios about each child to shop and collect their personalized gifts
- Wrapping: preparing and wrapping the gifts
- Delivering: dropping the gifts off to families
- Post-work: delivering thank you notes and free T-shirts to sponsors, checking in with families to see how their holidays went, reflecting on the year prior, and preparing for the next event!”
How many families would like to sponsor next year?
Jordynn: “We started our first year with a goal of 35 kids, and we made the promise with one another that we would fulfill these kids even if it meant coming out of our own personal savings to do so. Fortunately, our generous donors gave enough to sponsor not just 35 children, but 50. We want to set our goal high for next year and do the work early on to make it happen. e would love to be able to provide Christmas gifts for 75 children across the tri-state, and we have every plan to make it happen!”
“I just wanted to say that we are so appreciative of iStorage. We were able to find a better deal here than at any of the other units we looked at!
The facilities are clean, easy to access, and the staff is very personable. Quint, the manager of the Mason location, is amazing. We definitely hope to make iStorage our home for our future events to come!”
JORDYNN JENKINS
How Can You Get Involved with Make a Kid Merry?
It’s more than just the space. While iStorage is proud to partner with Jordynn and Skylar on accessible space, we want to keep spreading the word about the awesome Make A Kid Merry mission! To find out how you can help, visit the Make a Kid Merry website or email them at makeakidmerry@gmail.com.