February 21, 2019 - The Jon, Macy and Misty Bush Foundation was selected to be the next recipient of the 50 Women of Impact donation for the first quarter of 2019! The check presented by the group was for $7,000 with the projection of more to come as the group's members turn in their $100 donation.
Including this most current meeting, the cumulative donations of $100 by each member has enabled the group to donate nearly $60,000!
During Joann Bush's presentation to the 50 Women of Impact she told them after the last meeting she felt discouraged. Then a mom of a child the Jon, Macy and Misty Bush Foundation has helped said to Joann, " 'You can't give up,' she said, '[my child] doesn't give up.' "
Joann Bush continued, "So, I got to thinking on the way home what a horrible person I am because here I am ready to give up after six times of trying, so what. These kids fight to survive. They fight to get through their illnesses. [The child] bless her heart, she is my hero! She has fought from the time she had this attack, she has fought to walk again, she has fought to talk again. And this therapy it hurts. Its not easy to try to walk when you can't walk. It hurts. And we've been able to help her get some equipment that she needed for therapy." Bush finished by saying, "Help me help these kids. They deserve it. They are heroes that fight to live and they fight to get better and I want to help them get there."
Lisa McAdams, a member of the 50 Women of Impact, spoke before announcing the winner, "The 50 Women of Impact is not an exclusive organization whatsoever. If there is anyone that wants to give $100 a quarter, that is all you do. We are not flipping any hamburgers, we are not doing anything.... We want to make it as simple as possible for anyone to do this. We have given about $10,000 a quarter for a year and a half. We are always welcoming new members and you don't have to start at a certain time during the year."
The 50 Women of Impact group organized and held their first meeting in November of 2017 with the hopes of getting 50 women to give $100 each quarter for a combined contribution to an elected organization. The first meeting surpassed the 50 women with 94 inaugural members. Today there are over 100 women who have joined the cause with more seeking to join. They have met once a quarter since then donating funds to the Shelby County Welfare Board; AgriLife Extension, Shelby Family Consumer Science program; Fannie Brown Booth Memorial Library; Boo's Battle Cancer Fund; Shelby County Outreach Ministries; and now the Jon, Macy and Misty Bush Foundation.
The Jon, Macy and Misty Bush Foundation is an organization which helps children and young adults up to age 23 with major medical conditions such as, but not limited to cancer, automobile accidents, birth defects, etc. The organization also helps fund research for a disease Jon's niece has called Juvenile Dermatomyositis. It is a rare auto immune disease which can be life threatening and for which there is no cure. The main goal is to help children in Shelby County but it will help children outside of Shelby County depending on the severity of their condition and needs.
