Jennifer Bush-Lawson was an incredible woman, a caring and gentle friend to many, a dedicated wife and a devoted mother. This foundation carries her name — and her intention.
Jennifer and her husband Neal raised three children in Arlington — Cooper, Booker and Sadie.
All three arrived prematurely and required critical NICU care in the first days of their lives. Jennifer's pregnancies were complicated, and each one brought the kind of fear no parent forgets.
She was also fortunate. She had access to exceptional medical care, and specialists who knew what to do. Her children came home healthy.
Jennifer knew that not every mother in Arlington had what she had — and she couldn't accept that.
That knowledge stayed with her. She began researching maternal and infant health in her own community, and supporting local NICU organizations. After her third pregnancy, she started to take action — developing her own vision for how mothers and babies who needed help could get it.
Jennifer was killed in a traffic accident while volunteering at Nottingham Elementary School. She was doing what she did constantly: showing up for her community.
Her family and friends founded the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation as an extension of her passion — a way to carry out the vision she had already begun, and to honor her dedication, generosity and kind heart.
More than a decade later, that vision funds prenatal care, telemedicine visits, car seats, safe-sleep supplies and newborn checkups for families across Arlington and Northern Virginia. Every program exists for the same reason Jennifer started asking questions: a healthy start shouldn't depend on income.