Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Smith.
Megan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In October 2012 our daughter, Parker, passed away after two and half years of medical complexities. Parker was born with Lissencephaly, Microcephaly, and a long list of other diagnosis which never seemed to define who she was as she proved the doctors and medical books wrong time and time again. Throughout her life my husband, Phillip, and I struggled to ensure our daughter had the needed medical supplies and equipment that would allow her to grow and progress. After Parker’s passing we knew that we couldn’t let her death be in vain and we vowed to help children with all types of medical complexities.
In January 2013 we started The Parker Lee Project. A non-profit dedicated to helping families of children with various medical needs obtain the medical supplies/equipment and support they need at no cost to them. From our own personal experience, we knew there was a need, but we had no idea how big the need truly was across the globe. That January we cleared out our dining room, moved in some shelves, a desk, and Parker’s supplies that we had left over from her passing. Within weeks we had families near and far donating their excessive supplies too. We quickly started reaching out to the support groups we had been involved in to see what supplies families couldn’t get covered or couldn’t get a proper amount of. We inventoried what came in, so we could accurately ship out what other families were desperately needing.
We have continued to grow and grow throughout the years, going from our dining room to a 14×20′ shed, to a 1500sqft warehouse, to our location for the last two years – a 6000 sq. ft. warehouse containing over 2000 skus. We work tirelessly to raise money to cover the shipping costs to make sure these families across the globe have the life-saving and life-sustaining medical supplies and equipment their children need. We cover all these costs because we know firsthand how overwhelming, stressful, and expensive it can be to obtain these items, especially when not covered by insurance. We want to take some of these burdens from the families – giving them the opportunity to worry less over these necessities. Every bit of the time, hours, and work that goes into The Parker Lee Project is completely volunteer allowing all monetary donations to go back to assisting the families directly.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road, there have been times where we thought we would run out of money to cover shipping costs, times where we had no volunteers and were overwhelmed with families needing assistance. But through it all, we focused on our mission, kept our faith, and believed in keeping our daughter’s legacy alive no matter the obstacle.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Parker Lee Project – what should we know?
What I love and I think other families love about The Parker Lee Project is our love and compassion for all children and their families. We help all diagnosis, including the children still struggling to find the proper diagnosis. We don’t discriminate against location, age, or financial status. I’m also extremely proud that we have recently celebrated 5 years of service and have saved families over $1.5 million in out of pocket costs.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The passion I have to continue to share my daughter’s legacy with the world. The compassion I show to every family as they struggle to obtain what their child needs. The ability to remember just what it was like when Parker was alive, how I struggled and stressed to make sure she had what she needed to give her the best quality of life.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1810 S Kaufman St #204
Ennis, TX 75119 - Website: theparkerleeproject.org
- Email: megan@theparkerleeproject.org
- Instagram: @theparkerleeproject
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheParkerLeeProject
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