Halloween is just a few days away! Although it might look a little bit different this year, we hope everyone can still appreciate the JOY kids find in this holiday, donning their favorite costumes! Here's a throwback of Jarrett (yellow Power Ranger) and Claire (Barney). ... See more

We LOVE hearing the stories of how The Joy Cart has touched other's lives. This family chose to turn their grief into JOY❤️

--My grandson had neuroblastoma cancer four times from age two until he passed away at age 13 on February 4, 2020. He was a patient at UK Children's Hospital for years, where he was the recipient of toys from Jarrett's Joy Cart numerous times on Tuesday nights. We really appreciate what Jarrett started, and you all have continued. Today would have been his 14th birthday. I bought an X-Box One and sold raffle tickets for it. Many people bought tickets, and many people helped sell tickets, including some of the Rowan County High School sports teams. We are donating the proceeds from the raffle to Jarrett's Joy Cart to purchase toys for the cart. This was our birthday gift to him, to do something for the children in his memory. Thank you for everything you do. May God bless all of you.

What a testament to Jarrett's legacy! ... See more

THANK YOU to everyone who selected Jarrett's Joy Cart as your charity of choice on AmazonSmile for Amazon Prime Day! We hope you got some great deals, and appreciate you donating to the Joy Cart at the same time! As we head into the holiday season, remember to use AmazonSmile and Jarrett's Joy Cart for all of your Amazon shopping! ... See more

Today’s the day!! You can make a difference while you shop Amazon Prime Day deals today and tomorrow. Simply shop at smile.amazon.com (choose Jarrett’s Joy Cart as your charity of choice) or with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon Shopping app and AmazonSmile donates directly to Jarrett’s Joy Cart! Happy shopping!! ... See more

What does JOY mean to you? Is it dancing, cooking, spending time with others? Share an experience or memory in the comments that evokes JOY.

Amazon Prime Day, which normally takes place in mid-July, has been postponed to October 13 and 14 because of the pandemic.

PLEASE keep Jarrett's Joy Cart in mind as you're shopping on Amazon and sign up for Amazon Smile. Simply go to smile.amazon.com and choose Jarrett's Joy Cart, Inc. as your charity. We will receive a percentage of all purchases when you sign in via smile.amazon.com. It's THAT easy!!

Beat the holiday hustle & shop for everyone on your gift list during Prime Day! ... See more

The folks who donate to Jarrett's Joy Cart come from all over with diverse backgrounds. However, I think we've found The Most unique & creative group of folks this time. Jennifer Mynear met up with Marvel Comics Superhero Dr. Strange (aka Art Smith) to receive donations from he & his Superhero, Cartoon, & Movie friends from the local chapter of Cosplay For a Cause. Dr. Strange created quite a stir with people passing by. We look forward to doing something fun together for the kids in the near future. Check them out on FB, Instagram or YouTube. Here's Dr. Strange spreading some JOY, superhero style ... See more

Did you know that the Joy Cart does more than give out toys?

The mission of Jarrett’s Joy Cart is to positively impact children in various health related crisis situations by providing moments of joy while fostering empowerment and healing through patient education and play.

Follow us, invite your friends, and stay connected to learn all of the ways we spread JOY! ... See more

Looking for a good read to take your mind off the Pandemic for a bit? How about checking out FOX56 News Anchor and Author Marvin Bartlett’s book, “The Boy Who Delivered Joy.” Jarrett’s life journey and legacy, his Joy Cart, as told by Jarrett himself and the people who knew him best. If you've read the book, please share your thoughts.

It is available online, both paperback and e-nook versions at:
amazon.com
barnesandnoble.com
Apple Books
Google Play

Physical copies available at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington Green and Marketplace on Main in Versailles. A portion of the proceeds goes directly to Jarrett’s Joy Cart. ... See more

You know those people who emulate service above self? Well, meet John and Erica. John Graeber and Erica Shipley have played key roles with Jarrett’s Joy Cart in many capacities. From visiting patients on our Tuesday night Joy Cart runs, to assisting in coordination of the annual Holiday Store, and coordinating logistics, schedules, volunteers and more for our 18th and 20th Anniversary Joy Cart Galas, John and Erica even created their own event, the annual Holiday Celebration at Crank and Boom, collecting toys and gift cards for the kids! They both held leadership positions with UK DanceBlue, benefiting the KY Children’s Hospital DanceBlue Oncology Clinic, with Best Buddies UK serving special needs adults in the community, and served as counselors for Kids Cancer Alliance, and Special Olympics KY. If it’s about kids and the opportunity to give of themselves, these two are front and center. ... See more

- Volunteer Spotlight -

Eugenia (Genia) Johnson Smith is another Tuesday night volunteer who has been with Jarrett’s Joy Cart since its beginning in 1999. Genia is a Tuesday night volunteer and also participates annually in our Holiday Store. She used to have so much fun rolling through the halls of KY Children’s Hospital with Jarrett. She keeps those memories close as she helps continue her friend’s legacy. Thanks for your decades of JOY, Genia! ... See more

JOY is the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. Jarrett found JOY in providing moments of happiness for others, which led to his idea for the Joy Cart. In order to keep his dream of the Joy Cart alive, we still accept donations, especially financial, to serve the needs of the patients impacted by the Joy Cart.

Donate via our Facebook page Jarrett’s Joy Cart – Central KY or via mail: Jarrett’s Joy Cart P.O. Box 24526 Lexington, KY 40524-2456. ... See more

Marsha Benton (left) and Denise Lawless (right) have been Jarrett’s Joy Cart volunteers since the beginning, 21 years ago. That’s dedication! They love when October Fall Festival Time at KY Children’s Hospital comes around and Jarrett's Joy Cart partners with the Child Life staff for some fall fun. Marsha is a Tuesday night volunteer and member of the JJC Board of Directors, serving in multiple key roles behind the scenes, including our fundraising events and annual Holiday Store . We couldn’t begin to convey her impact to JJC! Denise Lawless has been a Tuesday night volunteer along with many other key roles throughout the years. Marsha, Denise, and their families were there to help Jarrett and his family throughout his 11 year cancer battle and have been a crucial part of Jarrett’s Joy Cart from day one when he started working on his plan. They are not only super friends, but super volunteers! ... See more

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and JJC will be honoring the battle of our founder, Jarrett Mynear, and all of the kids who've stood up to cancer. While his battle was with cancer, he wanted to make sure his Joy Cart always met the needs of all kids, no matter what health concerns they're facing. ... See more

Did you know that some of our largest donors are kids? Young people with huge hearts are leading the way and helping Jarrett’s Joy Cart grow. Jenna, along with her family and friends are continuing to make bracelets with the proceeds going to JJC. Jenna started this effort to honor the memory of a friend’s family loss. Thank you Jenna, for making good things happen to heal from sadness. Email [email protected] if interested in ordering. ... See more

Mark Cleveland has been involved with Jarrett’s Joy Cart for some 15 years. As the Superintendent of the Owen County Schools and board member of the KY Association of School Administrators, Mark invited JJC to be part of their state-wide annual conference, raising awareness and receiving donations for several years. After retirement, Mark and his incredible wife, Janet Stevens, formerly of state government, contacted Jennifer Mynear to see if they could become regular volunteers, and she jumped at the chance! We were so happy to have them become part of the JJC family. They miss getting to visit with the patients and spreading their own brand of JOY. ... See more

Volunteer Spotlight - Gina and John Bernard

Gina and John (R&L), pictured here with Guy Jones, have volunteered with Jarrett's Joy Cart since 2018. They bring so much fun to the Pre-COVID-19 Joy Cart runs and have worked behind the scenes to help with many other needs. When Jennifer Mynear asks, they’re always ready to help, no matter if it is moving boxes and containers full of Holiday gifts or taking part in the fun KY Children’s Hospital/Jarrett’s Joy Cart partnership hosting Zoom Bingo games with patients every Tuesday afternoon during the COVID-19 restrictions. They have commented over the years how the Joy Cart visits to patients make the rest of their difficulties during the day fade away, and seem minor compared to the challenges the kids face. We deeply appreciate the Bernard's for their commitment to Jarrett’s Joy Cart & the children served. ... See more

Volunteer Extraordinaire Spotlight - Guy Jones

Guy Jones has been involved with Jarrett’s Joy Cart almost since the very beginning, 21 years ago. He saw Jarrett on a national show and knew he had to meet this special boy. Then a youth minister at a northern KY church, Guy taught his students all about Jarrett, and had him come speak to the kids and congregation. After Jarrett’s passing in 2002, Guy continued to hold events for his remaining years at the church, where the parishioners collected toys at an incredible Christmas in July event. In addition to being a dear family friend, Guy now serves the hugely important role of Inventory Manager for JJC, making sure that everything is inventoried, organized, stored properly, and delivered to the hospital as needed to be used for the weekly Joy Cart runs. He misses being able to visit with the patients during the famous Tuesday night visits. ... See more

Volunteer Spotlight - The Mynear's
Jennifer, Doug and Claire Mynear (Jarrett's family) work with a dedicated team of volunteers and Board of Directors to keep Jarrett's Joy Cart going.

Jennifer works closely with the Kentucky Children's Hospital (KCH) and Outpatient Specialty Clinics to assess the various ways JJC can provide needed items, support programming and projects, and spread some JOY. She also speaks to groups of all sizes about the impact of Jarrett's legacy and was part of the team that introduced DanceBlue to the UK student community, benefiting the KCH Pediatric Oncology program. She continues to assist the students in numerous ways.

Doug is an engineer with the Lexington office of SynTerra-Science & Engineer Consultants and works tirelessly behind the scenes on various Joy Cart projects.

Jarrett's sister, Claire, loves being part of continuing her brother's legacy. Her favorite volunteering post is helping with the Pre-COVID-19 hospital visits. We sorely miss getting to see patients, but the Joy Cart rolls on.

Stay tuned to learn what we're doing to keep the Joy Cart rolling! ... See more

“Hi, just wanted to share my 12 year old daughter has started her own bracelet business to raise $ for your organization. We lost a dear friend recently and wanted to spread joy in his honor.”

Isn’t this incredible?! Healing through Helping. We could take the lead from young people like this! We’ve said it before, and will say it again… It just doesn’t get any better than kids helping kids. Stay tuned for the rest of the story. ... See more

Why is Jarrett's Joy Cart important? Here's a perfect example from a thankful parent. Little Everett is a Super Hero! His dad writes, "Hi! I want to thank you so much for all you do. My son recently spent a night in the PICU at KCH. He came home after a day and is doing well now but it was tough being back in the hospital after he was discharged this March after spending his first 13 months of life in the KCH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Because you weren't able to be there to deliver the toy you all provided (child life team is also amazing) I'll attach a photo of what it meant for our son. He loved it.

I went to school in Jessamine County with Jarrett and we were the same age. I distinctly remember him and I both attending a birthday party at Laser Quest for one of our mutual friends and we all had such a good time. He was such an amazing person and I remember him being so resilient despite the challenges he faced. My son will have many, although different, challenges throughout his life and I will be sure to explain to him who Jarrett was and how his legacy lives on through his family and his Joy Cart. Thanks again for all you do.” Daniel Polston ... See more

Do Your Part...Wear a Mask! Jarrett's sister, Claire, models one of the masks she wears to protect herself and others to stop the spread. Jarrett's Joy Cart purchased surgical grade masks for hundreds of young patients to offer them protection. Spread JOY, not GERMS! ... See more

Today, our founder & our inspiration, Jarett Mynear, would have celebrated his 31st birthday. Those who continue the efforts of Jarrett's Joy Cart do so with the focus of positively impacting as many lives of children facing medical challenges, in as many ways as we can, even during the pandemic. Hope you enjoy these photos from the Mynear family album. 1) Jarrett's 1 yr old photo. 2) Jarrett at age 9 3) Jarrett's "best birthday ever" (his words) getting to drive Jeff Gordon's racecar compliments of Michael Myrick and Hendrick Motorsports 4) Jarrett's first Joy Cart visits, March 1990. Happy Birthday Jarrett! ... See more

Just when you get a bit overwhelmed with the news of the day, you get a bright light in the midst of things. This sweet child is reaching out to Jarrett's Joy Cart all the way from New York. Special reply going out to Lennox for this incredible sentiment and donation. Hope this brings a little smile.
#StaySafe #StayHealthy ... See more

A friend of Joy Cart, Mikayla Chain, created this for us. What a special gesture.

Hope this finds our Jarrett's Joy Cart Facebook friends healthy and safe. These are difficult times for many reasons. We do have something special to celebrate today - THE 21ST ANNIVERSARY OF JARRETT'S JOY CART. Who knew, during that press conference, March 23, 1999, with 9 year old Jarrett Mynear telling the media about his dream project, that we would still be spreading JOY 21 years later?! It's all because of the people from across Kentucky who believe in what we do and have supported us. While the COVID-19 Virus is keeping us out of the hospital, it's not keeping us from spreading JOY. We're tracking various ways that the Joy Cart can help patients and their families who are struggling more than ever. Today, we delivered 20 Walmart Gift Cards worth $200 each, earmarked for families facing their child's cancer battle along with job and financial insecurity. We also delivered extra arts and craft supplies for the cancer patients who can't skip chemo treatments, transfusions, IV antibiotics and more. We're working on more plans with the KY Children's Hospital Child Life Director, Jennifer Guilliams to reach more patients across the hospital. Stay tuned because the JOY never stops. ... See more

Mr. Rogers always knew just the right thing to say. Hope you're trying to be Helpers during this difficult time while staying safe and healthy.

Even though we use humor to convey this message, it's a serious one. The patients we serve & ALL those who have medical challenges need everyone's help to stay safe. Please follow the Health Officials guidelines for sanitizing, hand washing, social isolation, self-monitoring, and careful planning. This will pass if we all do our part. ... See more

https://www.facebook.com/250106455115633/posts/2620419624750959/
Marvin Bartlett and Jennifer Palumbo have been incredible advocates & friends of Jarrett, his family and Joy Cary for almost 21 years, since the beginning of Jarrett's Joy Cart. ... See more

MORE BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS: I had a chance to catch up with my friend and former co-worker Jennifer Palumbo today while presenting books to Fayette County Schools Superintendent Dr. Manny Caulk. The Palumbo family donated copies of "The Boy Who Delivered Joy" to all Fayette County high schools. They also gave copies to Sayre libraries.
I was also able to drop off books for Fayette middle school libraries, courtesy of my good friend from church, Ellie Porter, and Joy Cart supporter Aaron Allnut of The Agency Real Estate Advisors. Thanks to all of these generous donors and Dr. Caulk for recognizing this great way to inspire young people to serve others. ... See more