MacKenzie Scott's $2 million donation lets Boston non-profit "say yes" to helping more kids
BOSTON - MacKenzie Scott has been making huge donations to several non-profit organizations across the country and in Massachusetts.
Scott, who divorced Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2019, has been giving away billions of dollars of her fortune through her organization, Yield Giving.
"I immediately started to cry"
WBZ-TV wanted to see how one of her gifts would be used at Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC), a non-profit children's advocacy organization in Boston.
"One day we got an email saying 'Surprise, not only did you receive the gift, you received two million dollars,' and I immediately started to cry," Executive Director Anna Krieger told WBZ-TV.
That gift represents more than an entire year's budget for the non-profit.
"Regardless of a child's race, disability, their immigration status, we're working to make sure they can thrive in school," she says of the organization's mission.
Who it helps
One such student in Lawrence is benefiting from MAC's efforts.
"My son's name is Jozias Jimenez. He's eight years old. He's a loving young fella. He has autism level one. He is non-speaking," said Judely Henriquez, who glows when speaking of her son.
She wanted him to be in a class with other students, but ran into roadblocks when his previous school kept separating him. At first, Judely didn't know where to go for help, until she found MAC.
"They were able to help me, support me, give me the guidance and educational background that I needed" she told WBZ.
"We can often tell them here are your rights, here's how to request the next step in your child's case or the next thing you might need from the school," Krieger said.
With that legal advice, Judely was able to get Jozias into a general education class in a new school, with a one-to-one aide to help him out.
"I did what I needed to do, and MAC was there to help me and give me the support, the emotional background that I needed, and they were able to fight for me," Henriquez said.
"We can say yes"
With the $2 million gift, they'll be able to fight for more kids like Jozias.
"For the next child that calls, we can take that case. For the next big issue that comes up we don't have to say no, we can say yes," Krieger told WBZ.
More information on Massachusetts Advocates for Children can found on their website.