Earlier this year, Republic FC and AARP teamed up to celebrate the everyday heroes working to make the Sacramento community a better place, embodying the Indomitable spirit of the region. This year’s recipient is Jenna MacMillan, a mom who turned her family’s need into a bigger purpose. When she became a mom, she had no plans of becoming an advocate for people with disabilities. “I am just a mom who is doing what she can to help make things a little easier for her disabled child in a non-inclusive world,” she explained. “In advocating for him, I found a greater need and ‘stuck my hand in the cookie jar’ at every opportunity to help others along that same path.”
In working tirelessly to create a better life for her 3 children and four stepchildren, including a son with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, MacMillan has become a beacon of hope and support for the disability community in Sacramento, recently earning the distinction of Republic FC’s Community Hero. “Jenna is Super Woman,” wrote friend Megan Laurie in her nomination of Jenna. “In addition to being a mom, she is a volunteer and advocate. She never stops moving and can multi-task like no one you have ever seen before.”
“After receiving services from UCP of Sacramento to support her family, she has become an ambassador and spokesperson for the organization, sharing information on the resources available to those who need them and advocating for schools to provide the best education for students with intellectual disabilities,” continued Laurie. “She wants people to know that just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you aren’t a part of the community, it just means you get to participate in a different or special way and that it is important for our community to remember it is not difficult to be inclusive and accessible.”
“To receive this award is unexpected and a true honor,” said MacMillan. “I just wanted to be the best mom possible and a decent human being, and being recognized for those efforts is inspiring. Sacramento is an inclusive city with many races, religions, and cultures and I want to make it more inclusive for those with special needs.”
On her dream for Sacramento, MacMillan says, “Make an accessible water park here so that people with disabilities can experience a place without limits where they can enjoy the water during our California summer season too. Receiving this award helped me see I can, and I will!”
She clearly has big aspirations for her son and the entire Sacramento region, but her message to others who want to improve the community is to start small: “It could be as simple as putting back a shopping cart left in a parking lot or picking up trash left on the ground at the park. Anything helps. Volunteer at your child’s school or find a cause that interests you, an area that you feel is lacking or in need of support. Find something that makes you happy to be a part of and share that with the world.”
