PHOENIX — A valley couple has made it their mission to bring joy to kids across the valley one toy at a time.
Jenna Hubaishy and her fiancé Ben Mertens often spend many hours in their garage refurbishing dolls and toys. It’s a skill they picked up after Hubaishy was scrolling Facebook marketplace and came across a highly sought-after, often valuable toy. An American Girl doll.
“I had a really good childhood. I had two American girl dolls and I loved them,” Hubaishy said. “I was telling Ben, I was like, this lady is selling them for like $10. These dollars are usually like $200. It’d be nice if these go to a girl who wouldn’t be able to afford it.”
Hubaishy says she wanted to find a way to make the doll look like new, because much of the appeal is often getting to open it out of the box. So they freshened the doll up and re-packaged her, finding a family to love and cherish her next. Since that day, they’ve created a nonprofit called PHX Doll House, and it's more than just dolls.
“Since March, we have given toys to 552 kids,” she said.
Their entire garage is now filled with donated toys. They have found many of the families online through social media groups, but they've also worked with larger organizations, and they often personally hand deliver them.
If you want more information about their mission, click here.
