Brenna Zettergren Memorial Foundation

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Brenna Zettergren Memorial Foundation We collect & deliver crafts annually to Smilow Cancer Center for children to enjoy something while undergoing treatment.

The foundation also awards multiple scholarships annually to high school seniors as well as sponsoring/supporting community events. The Brenna Zettergren Memorial Scholarship Foundation was formed to honor
the memory of Brenna Zettergren who died on December 22, 2012 from leukemia. Brenna courageously fought cancer for over 2 and 1/2 years with the support of
her parents, Jen and Kevin Zettergren, her sisters Bailey and Maura, and her
family and friends. The Foundation plans to award a yearly scholarship to a
graduate of Coginchaug Regional High School until at least 2025, the year she
would have graduated. The Foundation wishes to "give back" to the community
that took care of Brenna. The Foundation recently sponsored the annual Go Far
Go Fast race in town and will continue to look for other worthy causes to support.

Congratulations again to our 2026 scholarship recipient!
09/03/2026

Congratulations again to our 2026 scholarship recipient!

06/26/2026

People ask all the time how we acquire the crafts to donate to Smilow. What surprises me is that very often there is someone connected to us who starts the collection, but the people involved continue the tradition even without the initial person. Rachel LeMoult started a collection at her high school in New Jersey. Even after she graduated, the school has continued to collect donations for us. This year they raised $750 for us that we used to buy lego kits for the kids at Smilow. Thank you as well to Rowan O'Connell for her help with the legos.

It takes a village, and our village loved Brenna.

The 2026 Brenna Zettergren Memorial Foundation scholarship went to Hayden O'Sullivan this year. Hayden was diagnosed wi...
06/26/2026

The 2026 Brenna Zettergren Memorial Foundation scholarship went to Hayden O'Sullivan this year. Hayden was diagnosed with leukemia as a child and is devoting his life to finding a cure and making healthcare available to all by majoring in science and political science next year. We wish Hayden the best in his very bright future.
We could not honor Brenna at this yearly ceremony without our supporters. Thank you for all you do and all you donate.
Jennifer Croteau ZettergrenKevin Zettergren

The Brenna Zettergren Memorial Foundation sponsored a tee ball team this season through Coginchaug Little League. The t...
06/26/2026

The Brenna Zettergren Memorial Foundation sponsored a tee ball team this season through Coginchaug Little League. The team had popsicles on the last day.
We raise a popsicle to remember Brenna because she was only able to have a popsicle on her last birthday due to complications from the Phase 1 study she was in. Jennifer Croteau Zettergren Kevin Zettergren Coginchaug Little League

Congratulations to these players!

Huge shout out and thank you to the National Honor Society students at Canton High School! The students collected donati...
06/26/2026

Huge shout out and thank you to the National Honor Society students at Canton High School! The students collected donations during conferences this spring and applied for a grant. They donated approximately $1,100 in crafts for the kids at Smilow! I am so proud to work in such a caring community. Jennifer Croteau Zettergren Kevin Zettergren

Their kind advisor, Cecile Mancini shared the following:
National Honor Society has been participating in Bean's Craft Corner for the past two years. With a mission to bring color and fun to the lives of children who struggle with cancer, the organization provides crafts to Smilow Cancer Center at Yale New Haven Hospital. Mrs. Zettergren, one of our very own teachers here at CHS, after losing her young daughter, Brenna to leukemia, founded the non-profit organization, The Brenna Zettergren Memorial Foundation. This foundation's mission is to help bring joy to children fighting cancer by providing crafts for Bean's Craft Corner. Over the course of spring conferences at CBPS, CIS, CMS and CHS, staff, parents and families graciously donated anything from crayons to full activity kits. The Collins Chapter of National Honor Society was additionally awarded a grant of $1,000 in order to buy our own contributions. All in all, between that, and the money offerings from families, we raised over $1400. We, Mrs. Zettergren, and all at Smilow Cancer Center are beyond grateful for all who have helped us on this journey. It is thanks to people like you that we were able to impact over 300 kids!

Thank you to our friends at Brewster Elementary School and John Lyman Elementary School for collecting crafts this year....
12/23/2025

Thank you to our friends at Brewster Elementary School and John Lyman Elementary School for collecting crafts this year. We are so grateful for everyone's support and generosity.

It is that time of year...the time we ask you to consider picking up a craft while you are out shopping. Another way yo...
12/02/2025

It is that time of year...the time we ask you to consider picking up a craft while you are out shopping. Another way you can help us honor Brenna is by making a monetary donation to The Brenna Zettergren Memorial Foundation, Inc. Our Facebook link is not working at the moment as we wait for Paypal approval, but we can accept a check.

When we started this foundation, our goal was to give scholarships in Brenna's memory until 2025 as this would have been the year she graduated from high school. We did not anticipate the widespread support that would come our way for so many years. Honestly, back then, it was hard to imagine surviving to 2025 without Bean. Your generous donations have allowed us to not only give out yearly scholarships, but to support other community endeavors as well. Our community rallied behind Brenna so it has been an honor to pay that kindness forward in Brenna's name. We have been able to support other families and help important organizations like Go Far and CVEF.

The foundation will continue to give out scholarships as long as we are able and will continue to collect crafts for the children at Smilow Cancer Hospital. Those crafts kept Brenna occupied and distracted while she endured countless hours of chemotherapy. It is one small way we can help families who are going through similar nightmares.

We can't do this without your help and we are eternally grateful to you for your generosity and kindness.

On behalf of our family, we wish you all good health and joy.

Sincerely,
Kevin, Jen, Bailey, Maura, Avery, and always Bean.

06/17/2025

Thank you to Shaylah Finnerty for collecting money for Brenna's foundation at her graduation from Choate. Shaylah has supported Brenna and this foundation since day one of Brenna's diagnosis. She has organized lemonade stands and many other collections to honor her friend.

We wish sincere congratulations to Estella Perez andWardah Yaghi, the recipients of this year's Brenna Zettergren Memori...
06/17/2025

We wish sincere congratulations to Estella Perez and
Wardah Yaghi, the recipients of this year's Brenna Zettergren Memorial scholarships, and to all the graduating seniors of the Class of 2025.
Thank you to CRHS for honoring Brenna at graduation with a remembrance dedication of the flowers on stage. Brenna would have been a member of the class of 2025. Her absence was felt deeply by those who loved her.

Thank you to the Canton community and the Canton High School National Honor Society for collecting crafts at all Canton ...
04/25/2025

Thank you to the Canton community and the Canton High School National Honor Society for collecting crafts at all Canton public schools during the spring conferences this year. I am new to Canton and very grateful for the way they embraced me and Brenna's foundation.

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Durham, CT
06422

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