Jack’s Basket nonprofit celebrates 10 years supporting children with Down syndrome

MEDICINE LAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) - One basket at a time, Twin Cities non-profit Jack’s Basket is destroying the narrative around Down syndrome.

Founder and CEO Carissa Carroll set out on that goal, after a negative experience during the birth of her son Jack, who has the genetic disorder.

"We didn’t receive a congratulations, we had just given birth to our son… that’s not how families should start," Carroll explained. "Although his extra chromosome was surprising, we wouldn’t change him if we could. We would just change how that story started."

Ten years later, Carissa has been able to do that for other families. She’s created a thriving community of families with children with Down syndrome, and the group celebrated 10 years on Sunday.

However, even one decade in, their goal has never changed. They believe children with Down syndrome should be celebrated.

Much of the work at Jack’s Basket lies in retraining doctors on how to better communicate the diagnosis, without bias, and with more compassion and empathy. A new online training course emphasizes that Down syndrome is not bad news, but only unexpected news.

Jack’s Basket also donates toys, books, and resources for families.

"It changed everything, it’s changing the narrative," recipient Allison Alexander told FOX 9. "Jack’s Basket is more than just a basket. What Carissa and her team are doing is changing the narrative when babies are born with Down syndrome… they have been one of the most influential and impactful organizations in our life… we’re so grateful for what they’re doing, and that they’ve been doing it for 10 years."

Jack’s Basket says it has helped in the birth of 8,600 babies with Down syndrome, in 46 countries.