Sometimes the most meaningful gifts come from people who understand the journey firsthand. After losing their mom to breast cancer, Javarrio and Kadijah Clark wanted to honor their mom’s legacy by providing school supplies and uniforms to a family currently supported by Go Jen Go. Their mom, Stephanie, was near and dear to our hearts after connecting with her over the past few years as she went through a stage IV breast cancer journey.
Stephanie always had the biggest smile at grantee programs, supported other breast cancer patients, and was known for the best hugs. When she passed away this year, we lost a light in this world, one who lived the motto “faith over fear”.
When her children reached out wanting to give back to the foundation that meant so much to their mom, our hearts were full of gratitude. Javarrio shared, “When my sister and I decided to give back we knew we wanted to make some children smile in the process while taking a burden off a grantee (parent) at the same time. Thank you for allowing us to do just that.”
Kadijah was always helping care for her mom and attended Go Jen Go events with her. She shared, “Go Jen Go meant the world to my mom, so it meant the world to me. The Patient Assistance Program helped my mom in some of her darkest days, and it motivated her to keep going doing her cancer journey. When she experienced financial issues Go Jen Go was always willing to work with my mom no matter how big or small. We truly appreciate Go Jen Go for loving our mom.”
La’Tarra was diagnosed with stage II invasive ductal carcinoma in the fall of 2025 and has been undergoing an extensive treatment plan. She’s navigating her journey while parenting two teen girls, a son in college, a limited work schedule and no local family to help. She shared, “Being the recipient of this family honoring the memory of their mom who just passed away was nothing more than a blessing. I am at a rough patch in life, and I needed that blessing for my children to feel prepared for the school year. Go Jen Go has been nothing but an inspiration and amazing resource for my family financially, emotionally and mentally. I’m not the type of person to ask for help, but this organization has made life so much easier to navigate. With no family down here, I was not expecting any help. My nurse navigator connected me with Go Jen Go and I have been locked in ever since. They make me feel supported and guiding me with resources, programming and financial support.”
The Clark family shared what it meant to spend time with La’Tarra, her wife Michelle, and meet her daughters QiAnte and Qallie. It was more than donating the school supplies and uniforms, it was being able to share about their mom, comfort and listen to La’Tarra and her family share about their journey. “It meant to world to us to support La’Tarra and her sweet daughters. Hearing the grantee say that she was about to let the school know that her kids would not have uniforms for the first few weeks was heartbreaking. Being able to ensure they start school with everything that they needed/wanted was very fulfilling. Surprising them with the grocery store gift card was extremely special, especially after we heard her challenges with being able to hold down food and food pantry foods were limited.” It was a visit of grief, joy, support and hope for both families.
La’Tarra reflected on the impact of the Clark family, “Having my children receive the school supplies brought tears to my eyes because they are straight A students and they are always prepared on day one. This year didn’t happen like that, so to have a family donates the school supplies and uniforms filled my heart with joy.”
Our program manager had the privilege of being part of the delivery of gifts, seeing the families meet and to share about Stephanie too. The moments that made this day special were seeing the girls comfort their mom, grab tissues for everyone, and then see the big smiles as they opened their supplies and new pairs of sambas (a want they didn’t expect to receive). The best was the giant grins as they tried on their uniforms and shared how exciting it was to have new pants that were long enough. “We know the power of community and connection during a breast cancer journey. It was so special to connect the Clark and Odom families – giving one family the opportunity to give back during grief and the other find support and hope when she was fighting for her life and unable to provide for her children like she would prior to her diagnosis. I had happy tears knowing my sweet friend Stephanie is looking down so proud of her children and the Odom family. This is a special moment of seeing a past grantee family find a unique way to give back to our foundation and support a current grantee family in need,” shared Jessie Nash, program manager.
The true purpose of this moment was to help the children feel supported, prepared for the new year, and know that others recognize what they are also navigating and that they are strong. QiAnte and Qallie shared, “We are happy to see our mom get help, she never asks and always does things on her own. She’s so strong and we try to be on our best behaviors for her. We love her and just want her to be alive for us. Thank you for helping my mom not stress. We will wear our new uniforms and feel like the rest of the kids in school. Thank you to the Clark family for supporting us. And thank you Mrs. Jessie for your help with our family.”
The Clark’s thoughtful generosity not only helped La’Tarra’s daughters start the school year ready to learn; it also helped relieve the financial burden of back-to-school costs as medical bills continue to increase and she is limited in the hours she can work as she recovers and prepares for another surgery. Through this act of kindness, Stephanie’s memory lives on, connecting families and reminding us that even in loss, love continues to make a difference.
