At just 9 years old, Quinn is already a business owner dedicated to helping others. Since launching Piñata Crates in 2021, she has been creating and shipping candy-filled piñatas to people across the country. But for Quinn, now preparing to enter fourth grade, it has always been about more than candy.
“I started the Piñata Crates business because I wanted to help people who are sick and needed help,” Quinn said.
The idea was born during the COVID-19 pandemic when Quinn was only 5 years old. A family friend was sick and isolated, and Quinn couldn’t imagine what it felt like to be alone during such a difficult time. She wanted to create something that would bring joy, connection, and a reason to smile.
What started as a simple act of kindness quickly grew into a thriving small business. Today, Piñata Crates ships colorful candy-filled creations nationwide.
For her mother, Heather, the business has become more than a way for Quinn to help others. It’s also an opportunity for her daughter to learn valuable life and business skills.
But Quinn’s mission goes beyond brightening people’s days. Ten percent of Piñata Crates’ proceeds are donated to Boston MedFlight—the organization that played a critical role in Quinn’s own young life nearly eight years ago.
While Quinn doesn’t remember it, Heather vividly recalls the day Boston MedFlight entered their lives.
When Quinn was just over a year old, she faced a medical emergency that required urgent transport. During that frightening time, Boston MedFlight’s critical care team arrived to safely transport her by helicopter.
“There were two people that came into the hospital room, in the full jumpsuits, and they were just so calm and confident,” Heather recalled. “They gave us such peace about it all and made me feel far more comfortable than I had been feeling about what was about to happen.”
Heather remembers the MedFlight crew carefully explaining every step of the transport process, helping ease the fear and uncertainty that comes with watching your child face a medical crisis.
“They went through everything so methodically about what they were going to do when they were in the sky,” she said. “They were absolutely so buttoned up, so calming, so wonderful. I felt like she was in such good hands.”
While Quinn’s father accompanied her on the flight, Heather made the drive to Boston alone, following the helicopter’s lights in the night sky. After arriving in Boston, she heard firsthand about the care Quinn received during the transport.
“My husband was just raving about the experience in the air,” Heather recalled. “He was very impressed. He shared that Quinn received exceptional care.”
Today, approximately one in four patients transported by Boston MedFlight is a baby or child. For families facing some of the most difficult moments of their lives, the expertise and compassion of the critical care team can make all the difference.
Although Quinn has no memory of the flight itself, she has grown up hearing the story and understanding the role Boston MedFlight played in her care.
“We keep Boston MedFlight very alive in conversations with Quinn,” Heather said. “She obviously doesn’t remember it, but she knows how vital the situation was and that Boston MedFlight played a critical role in helping her.”
The experience left a lasting impression on the entire family and continues to inspire their commitment to giving back.
“It was a really pivotal moment in our lives, and we’re just really grateful,” Heather said. “Whatever we can do to give back is important—not only to her, but also to my husband and me. You all have stayed on our minds as some of the most influential people we’ve ever needed to lean on.”
Today, Quinn is channeling that gratitude into action. What began as a little girl’s desire to brighten the day of someone who was sick has evolved into a business with a mission: spreading joy while helping others receive the care and support they need.
Through every Piñata Crate she sends, Quinn is paying forward the kindness and care that helped her family during one of their most difficult moments.
It’s a powerful reminder that the impact of a lifesaving flight doesn’t end when a patient arrives at the hospital. Sometimes, it inspires a lifetime of gratitude—and a new generation committed to helping others.
