Jacqueline Hunter, Founder

Oh Happy Play began with a simple question I kept coming back to: What happens when a child doesn’t get the chance to play?

Throughout my life and career, I have seen how play shapes children. Not just how they learn, but how they see themselves and the world around them. Play builds confidence. It invites creativity. It offers comfort, connection, and joy. And yet, for many families, access to play is limited by circumstance, cost, or crisis. That gap is what led me to create Oh Happy Play.

For more than 25 years, my work has centered children and families. I have served as a recreation leader, high school teacher, pre-college advisor, parent educator, doula, and foster parent. I am also a veteran, and my time in service shaped my deep commitment to community care, responsibility, and showing up with purpose. Across every role, I witnessed the same truth: children thrive when they are seen, supported, and given space to simply be children.

I am also the proud mother of four incredible children. Parenting has been my greatest teacher, grounding this work in lived experience and reminding me how deeply families need support without judgment, access without barriers, and moments of joy woven into everyday life.

Oh Happy Play is where all of these experiences come together. It is rooted in the belief that play is not a luxury, it is essential. It is also grounded in a commitment to caring for our planet. Every year, countless toys end up in landfills, often after being loved for only a short time. At Oh Happy Play, we believe toys deserve longer lives. By redistributing donated, gently used toys, we reduce waste while placing meaningful play experiences directly into the hands of children who will cherish them next.

Through Learn & Play programming, thoughtful toy reuse, and community partnerships, Oh Happy Play works to close the play gap while also honoring environmental responsibility. Each toy tells a story of generosity, sustainability, and connection—one child passing joy to another.

At its heart, Oh Happy Play is about dignity, sustainability, and community care. It is about building a future where children can play freely and our shared resources are valued and protected.

This work is personal. It is purposeful. And it is guided by the belief that small moments of joy, when shared thoughtfully, can create lasting impact for children, families, and the world they will inherit.