Mother's Day: Prior Lake woman donates beauty products to moms at children's hospital

This Mother's Day, a Prior Lake woman is putting smiles on deserving mothers’ faces who have children hospitalized at the Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital.

Since 2016, Jane O’Hern has organized a group of May Kay consultants to donate thousands of dollars worth of their products to mothers who have to spend their special day at their child's bedside at the children's hospital. She believes every mother should feel special on the heartwarming holiday.

"This was my idea many years ago because those children cannot get out and purchase anything for their moms on Mother's Day," O’Hern said. "It's certainly challenging enough that they have a child there on Mother's Day, but now they get to receive a gift from their child because their child can pick out a gift themselves from whatever has been wrapped."

O’Hern also said she and some of her other consultants have strong ties to the Masonic Children's Hospital, which is why they decided to donate to them.

O’Hern's granddaughter, Casey, spent a lot of time at the Masonic Children's Hospital as a child and received a kidney from her father a few years ago. Today, Casey is studying nursing at the College of St. Benedict.

"My granddaughter received a kidney there from her father when she was 15," O’Hern said. "One of the granddaughters of one of our unit members actually almost lived at Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital with a defective heart for many years; she has since passed."

O’Hern said this year, she and her consultants donated a total of $40,474 worth of products to the Masonic Children's Hospital.

"We do this with all the products that haven't sold for us," O’Hern said. "So, we decided to donate them. We come to my house and wrap them up, which took 10 of us about four hours."

O’Hern said she and her team delivered the goodies two weeks ago in time for Mother's Day and were welcomed with open arms. She said it took her team 15 minutes to unload all the gifts from two vehicles.

"We do this every year and we hope to continue doing it," O’Hern said. "It's a wonderful way for us to disperse our products that haven't been sold and why not just give them away to a worthy cause."

O’Hern added that that this year they will also be donating men's products to the children's hospital for Father's Day.

"This year, we donated men's products, as well, for Father's Day, and they store these things for not only Mother's Day, but for Father's Day, Christmas, birthdays, you name it until it's depleted," O’Hern said. "And the next year, they wait for our donation. They actually ask us when we’re coming, which is kind of fun."

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