In February of 2010, Jenny Kennedy came across an article that really inspired her. It was about a non-profit organization across the country who threw birthday parties for homeless children.Jenny decided that this was something she wanted to take on herself. After running the idea by her daughter, Shelly Marlowe, and her daughter-in-law, Jana Coffin, they decided to form Making Kids Count, Inc.

Jana graduated from Capital University Law School in May of 2009 with a law degree and Shelly graduated from Youngstown State University in December of 2009 with a Business Administration degree. The combination of Jenny's determination, and the two daughter's degrees and enthusiasm about the organization really helped get MKC off the ground.

Together, they came up with a twist to the original article's mission. They weren't just going to do birthday parties, they were going to expand their mission to be able to reach out to individuals on a personal basis.

They decided they didn't want to just work with those in poverty, but with all children and their families who may need a helping hand.

In September of 2012, Making Kids Count hired Colleen Eisenbraun. Along with working with us on day to day tasks, Colleen is the Program Manager of our After School Tutoring Program as well as our Art Program! Colleen has a Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Youngstown State University and is a huge asset to our organization!