SPREADING JOY ONE BOX AT A TIME

ONE BOX AT A TIME!

By Gabrielle Coon

MAREN GROOTERS — CREATOR OF MG’S STYLE BOUTIQUE

This year Teen Mental Health Awareness Day is March 2nd. This date aims to raise greater awareness of mental health issues among teens and educate people about removing stigmas surrounding preventative mental health. One Spring Hill teen is raising awareness for Teen Mental Health through her Give Back Organization, MG’s Style Boutique.

Maren Grooters, creator of MG’s Style Boutique, shares, “I’m just an everyday teen looking to spread a little JOY and positivity to others because we could all use more JOY in our lives!” Maren launched her online Give Back Boutique in November 2021 after brainstorming ways she could use her personal experiences to help other teens who are struggling with mental health issues.

In her online Boutique, you’ll find an array of products from comfy sweatshirts and t-shirts, which Maren helped design, to inspirational jewelry and décor. She also offers a variety of Joy Boxes which can be purchased to spread JOY to others. The “Be Happy Boxes” focus on products that will bring people joy while the “Project Semicolon Box” and “Be Still Box” share inspiring ways to stay in faith and keep moving forward. All profits from MG’s Style Boutique go towards sending these surprise JOY boxes to teens undergoing treatment at in-patient facilities or to those that are healing at home.

Maren’s desire to give back to others struggling with mental health issues stems from her own battles. At the age of 12, she was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that leads to distorted body image and difficulty maintaining healthy body weight. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, around one out of every 25 females will have anorexia in their lifetime, and girls between the ages of 14 and 25 are most at risk. Although the stereotype for eating disorders is it only occurs in females, in reality about one in three people who struggle with eating disorders are male.

In the fall of 2018, Maren was hospitalized at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital to restore her nutrition. “I know what it’s like to struggle and feel hopeless. I’ve been through some hard stuff and one of the things that got me through was the supportive notes and kindness from others and oddly enough people I didn’t know but had been through what I was going through,” Maren said. “My amazing care team and support from friends and family were so important to my recovery — I felt very loved and that helped so much.”

MY DAUGHTER CAME HOME YESTERDAY FROM THE HOSPITAL. LOTS OF TEARFUL MOMENTS. THE BOX OF JOY CAME AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME AND PUT A SMILE ON HER FACE AND BROUGHT HER JOY. THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE IS ANYTHING I CAN DO TO PAY IT FORWARD AND BRING JOY TO SOMEONE ELSE.

— AMY The inspiration for the JOY Boxes came from that love Maren felt and from a very special young woman, Laynee Robinson, who also went through the same issues. Laynee would write letters to Maren and check in on her; Laynee’s mom, Rachell, would also stop by weekly to bring her special gifts to make her feel comfortable and cared for. Laynee reminded Maren it’s okay not to be okay and taking some time to regroup is a necessity for everyone.

That feeling of being cared for and loved is what Maren wants others to experience. “My favorite part of sending JOY Boxes is writing personal notes of encouragement included in the boxes she sends to people. Helping others in this way helps me too,” she said. “The response from the boxes sent so far has created an overwhelming desire from those who receive boxes to pay it forward. Which shows each of us can make a difference, one small JOYful act at a time.”

In the first 4 months of the venture, MG’s Style Boutique donated $200 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and gifted 20 JOY Boxes to individuals Maren has connected with and who are going through a pause in their lives for healing. If you would like to join the mission to spread JOY, follow Maren on social media at @mgsstyleboutique, message her for collaborations, and spread the word. The more people who get involved, the more JOY that can be spread!

If you know someone who needs a JOY Box sent to them or if you would like to purchase a JOY Box to personally give to someone, visit mgsstyleboutique.myshopify.com.