- 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 thejoycart@gmail.com 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