We were there for about an hour and a half and I think I wanted to cry for like an hour and 15 minutes. We learned about Jessie Rees, who was diagnosed with her two inoperable brain tumors at age 11 and had a 10 month fight before she passed away in 2012. During that time, all she wanted to do was make jars of toys to deliver to kids who had to stay overnight in the hospital, and she named them Joy Jars and she had very specific instructions for how to do them too. We got to watch a video about her and her family, the legacy of the Joy Jars, and how the mission is continuing today. Then, we got to work in the joy factory.
These were legit no joke. We had specific instructions for filling them, which included the way toys were shown in the 'joy window', including no tags or barcodes, and they needed to be stuffed to the brim with no air and no sound when you shook it.
The jar I was given was for a girl aged 0-12 months. So yeah, try to fill a jar with rubber ducks and knit beanies and Minnie Mouse bibs knowing the baby who gets to wear this is fighting cancer and try not to be depressed. We got to seal and shrink wrap them ourselves, then box them up and label them and take a group picture with them.
We all only made one but I felt like I could have made twenty! It's been a long time since I did any sort of volunteering at all. I'm overdue for some more. What a great legacy to leave behind. And if you know of any kids fighting cancer, let them know about her foundation - you can sign up to receive the Joy Jars completely free.
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