KORT Physical Therapy hosting toy drive during double-header

Published 9:28 am Thursday, January 3, 2019

KORT Physical Therapy has teamed up with Jarrett’s Joy Cart to offer a toy drive during West Jessamine and East Jessamine High School’s double header next month to benefit child cancer patients throughout Kentucky.

“Jarrett’s Joy Cart started 19-years-ago,” Jarrett’s mother Jennifer Mynear said. “He was a live-in cancer patient from the time he was two until he was 13 when we lost him. He went to school in Jessamine County and he started the project when he was 9-years-old because of all the time he spent in the hospital.”

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The event will take place two nights, Jan. 11 at West Jessamine High School at 2101 Wilmore Road, and Feb. 1 at East Jessamine High School at 815 Sulphur Road during the boys and girls double header basketball games. All donations will benefit Jarrett Mynear’s Joy Cart.

Always very concerned and aware of the other patients he spent time with, Jarrett started the cart to bring joy to others who were hospitalized, Mynear said. Nineteen-years later, Jarrett’s Joy Cart still visits patients in the hospital every Tuesday night.

“The impact has been far and wide across the state and we hear from people on a regular basis,” Mynear said. “Gentlemen stop me and say, ‘I know you don’t remember me, but I will never forget the joy cart or Jarrett.’ One recently said, ‘In 1999 I was in the hospital as a young teenager and I got a visit from the joy cart, and I will never forget that.”

Mynear said Jarrett’s Joy Cart recently celebrated its 18th annual holiday store which the non-profit organization holds every year for Kentucky children’s hospital patients.

“We turn the play room into a free store for patients to shop for the family members. Everything is wrapped and put in shopping bags for them to be able to give to their loved ones,” Mynear said.

Donations in January and February being accepted are musical gift items, small sound machines, little snuggle blankets, rattles, musical or interactive toys, pillow pals, gift cards to Walmart for $10 – $15, Hot Wheels Sets, Lego and Playdough sets, movie character toys, arts and crafts kits, baby doll and barbie sets. Interactive musical books, nail polish and make-up kits, logo items, dry erase boards with markers, body sprays and shower gels, LED flashlights, duffle and overnight bags, sketch pads with colored pencils and packs of sports socks. The organizations asks residents do not make any donations of balls or outdoor toys.

“We are so excited to use our upcoming KORT Nights for this toy drive.” Holly Ratliff, marketing director for KORT Physical Therapy said. “What a wonderful way to celebrate Jarrett’s Joy Cart and the amazing work they do. We were blown away by the giving spirit of this community last year with our scarf drive. We hope that the same spirit of giving and some fun competition between schools for a great cause like Jarrett’s Joy Cart will make for another great fundraiser.”

“Jarrett was a nationally known personality,” Mynear said. “As years have gone on more and more people are aware that we have continued the joy cart. We lost him 16-years -ago – and that is a promise that we made to him and thankfully we have been able to keep it.”

For more information contact thejoycart@gmail.com or KORT Physical Therapy at 800-645-KORT