The JENNABEARS Foundation is an official 501 (c) (3) organization. EIN 26-1248114
Celebrating Jenna's life by making a difference in the lives of children and families!
The JENNABEARS Foundation was established in 2007 by Jenna's family. Jenna Lynne Eades was fatally injured in a rear-end collision on March 31, 2007. We called Jenna "Jennabear" because she was so cute, chubby, and cuddly like a teddy bear. She has a teddy bear she loved and it was with her while she was in the hospital. Our sweet Jenna and her nickname is the true inspiration for our foundation.
This foundation stemmed from the heartbreaking loss of our daughter, but it our way of keep her memory going and celebrating her life through helping children and families in need. While we were at the hospital, we saw occurences that many don't ever see. There were so many children in the Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit without comfort or support. These children could be in there for anything...a car crash, cancer, terminal illness, abuse, etc. Some children had no parents that visited them at all. About 6 weeks after our life shattering event, we took every teddy bear that our oldest daughter Hayley received from visitors back to the hospital to give to those children. The nurses told us that they loved them and even the 17 year-olds were excited. That moment, we knew what we had to do for Jenna. We decided to start this foundation....to ultimately make a difference for those children.
Our mission is to help children and families in a time of need. Where it is a child who was seriously hurt in a automobile crash or a parent who loses a child, we give them a Jennabear for comfort, to let them know someone cares. We will also be delivering Jennabear Trauma Baskets to the older children which will include a Jennabear and various other items such as portable cd players, DVDs, puzzles, games, etc. We hope to become large enough to do more things such as build playgrounds, etc. But we promise, our whole reason for this foundation will never leave us. It's all about the Jennabears that we will be giving as a symbol of love, comfort, and a connection through our daughter Jenna.
We will have events to raise funds to advance our mission throughout the year, so keep an eye out on our events page. The bigger we get, the more we will be able to do. We want to make a difference. And this foundation along with many children and families need your help. Thank you for your support!
