Helping Jennine Heal

Hi, we are Karen Craven and Annmarie Savitski and we created this GoFundMe to support our sister Jennine Chambers, who was severely injured in a freak car accident last month. Jennine’s right leg was badly torn when the car drove over her and she required reconstructive surgery to graft skin from the left leg to the right. She faces a long and painful recovery, which required several weeks of hospitalization to ensure the grafts adhered to the underlying tissue. Which they have! That is followed by rehabilitation and a prolonged period away from her work as a special education teacher at Ball Charter in Springfield. She received exceptional care at Memorial Hospital in Springfield, and we are beyond grateful.

Jennine is a devoted member of her community. She is an adoring mom, loving wife, dear friend, caring daughter, great sister, and talented and compassionate teacher. Karen introduced Jennine to her husband Aaron at a Halloween Party in Springfield 21 years ago. They have two lovely daughters, our nieces, Hannigan and Claire, who are both students at Blessed Sacrament in Springfield. Jennine and her business partner manage a craft business, Simply Creative, which has become a mainstay at local farmer’s markets.

We know the financial toll that this will take on Geeg (that's what her siblings call her) and her family. Geeg is the third of five children to our parents Jerry and Marie Craven. We grew up on the Southwest Side of Chicago in St. Thomas More parish. The sisters attended Maria High School, and our twin brothers Kevin and Brian attended St. Rita High School. Jennine received her B.A. in special education at Northern Illinois University and later her M.A. from Quincy University.

We realize this is a challenging time for many families grappling with inflation, recession concerns, and the expenses of the holiday looming. We are hopeful we can raise this money to lessen the burden of out-of-pocket medical expenses and lost income. Whether you can make a donation at this time or not, we appreciate you reading this story, and hope that you will keep Geeg and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you!

Karen Craven and Annmarie Savitski