Kenzie Kares Holiday Drive

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Since 2019, Kenzie Kares Foundation has started the Journey Beads program, which provides milestone beads for families to track their babies progress while in the NICU, we've donated over $15,000 in tangible items to Banner Thunderbird NICU such as snacks, toiletries, books, preemie clothes, etc., and we've helped support other local non-profits that assist special needs and foster families with gaining access to necessary supplies and social services needed. 

Our lofty goal for 2020 was to expand our outreach of support to NICU families in a very tangible way. Our first KENZIE KARES HOLIDAY DRIVE helped provide very helpful items to parents currently enduring the NICU journey that we wish we would have had along our own journey. We also selected items for the NICU that helped provide play time for kiddos who’s parents cannot be there every moment of every day, as well as a monetary way to donate so we can continue helping in unexpected ways that may come up throughout the year. 

2021 we were able to raise enough funds during our Holiday Drive to sustain our support of NICU families throughout the year, and expand our support to multiple additional NICU's in the Phoenix Metro area. We were also able to partner with a few other non-profits (such as Southwest Human Development) to aid families in finding the support they needed post NICU, particularly those families coming home with children with special needs. 

2022 is about to be our best year yet! The last few years have been difficult with hospital restrictions due to the new COVID protocols and it has severely limited parents/families abilities to be by their childs' bedside. This year, we hope to be able to provide every family with a care pack upon admission to help ease the transition to NICU life. Each care pack with have basic necessities for parents and siblings to help ease the burden of the long days in the NICU.

Everything helps! Thank you for your generosity!