Carrie Meghie spent nearly 10 months, all day and every day, with her firstborn son Jackson in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). During these 10 months, Carrie and her husband Terry were shocked at the cost of parking for families. They were so blessed and fortunate to have the resources to be there with him each and every day but it didn’t take long for them to see that the cost of parking was a truly an obstacle for so many families, which left many babies alone far too often. Having a parent at a baby’s bedside is something that is so easily taken for granted when you have a healthy baby at home but is truly a luxury in the NICU.
After Jackson passed away just shy of 10 months, Carrie and her husband started the Jackson Chance Foundation in their son’s honor to celebrate his life and to give other babies the same opportunity that he had – to have a loved one with them, each and every day. The Jackson Chance Foundation enriches the lives of families with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by allowing them to spend more time with their critically ill baby.
Jackson Chance Foundation’s NICU Transportation Program provides every baby the opportunity to have a loved one beside with them 24/7. Via their program, every baby receives a monthly pass that gives any family member unlimited in/out parking privileges. This not only saves the family significant dollars but it also increases the visits and time spent with their baby which has been medically proven to improve a baby’s health.
Carrie Meghie Bio
Carrie Meghie is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 25 years’ experience crossing multiple industries. Carrie’s newest endeavor capitalizes on her creative & entrepreneurial background, hospitality expertise, brand creation knowledge, and her design experience via her newest company Neon Fringey. Neon Fringey is a creative house exploring the outer boundaries and intersection of design, fashion & travel and includes carefully selected & designed villa properties, vintage finds, and one of a kind, limited edition bags.
In addition, Carrie and her husband founded the Jackson Chance Foundation in 2013, a non-profit that supports critically ill babies by removing the financial burden of parking fees, giving every family the opportunity to be with their child in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In 2016 she was honored for her philanthropic work and was named a CNN Hero and chosen as one of Chicago Magazine’s Chicagoan’s of the Year. In 2020, the foundation will provide over 90,000 days of parking to families at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital and Rush Children’s Hospital. The nonprofit has raised over 5.4 to date.
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