US Navy Veteran Kenny Jary—or “Patriotic Kenny” as he’s come to be known in his community—knows what it’s like to rely on a mobility scooter for even the most simple of freedoms. So when his beloved scooter broke one day, his friend Amanda Kline began a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise money for a new one. Kenny’s network really came through for him, and when they raised much more than they had ever anticipated, Kenny decided to pay it forward. With Amanda’s help, Kenny set out to use his sizable TikTok following to help other veterans—and they were blown away by what happened next.
80-year-old Navy veteran Kenny Jary has been a local celebrity in Mahtomedi, Minnesota, for some time. He can often be seen riding around town on his star-spangled-banner-themed mobility scooter, chatting it up and swapping tales for quality time, smiles, and joy with friends and strangers alike. For Kenny, having a scooter to drive around in town is freedom, just as living in America is freedom to him.
“I can walk a little bit, but my health limits how far I can go. Having a scooter means I can meet more people, make them smile, and just talk to them.”
One day, a fellow Mahtomedi resident, Amanda Kline, was talking with a friend who owns a local coffee shop. She told Amanda about Kenny, one of her regulars, and said they would hit it off if they ever met. And fate would have it that they met just the next day. They chatted for hours that day and immediately became friends. After a while, Amanda thought of an idea: to make a TikTok for Kenny to share his joyful personality with the world.
“Kenny’s personality is contagious; everybody loves him. I thought there was no better way to capture Kenny than through video,” says Amanda. “I thought we would be successful if 200 people were able to have access to Kenny. So I set up his TikTok and started making videos, and away it went.”
Amanda’s hunch proved right—Kenny’s personality resonated online. His TikTok account, @patriotickenny, now has more than 2.9 million followers and over 63.9 million likes. Videos of Kenny’s humor, kindness, and gratitude for life struck a chord across generations, making him a star far beyond his Minnesota hometown.
About a month after Amanda started the TikTok account, Kenny’s scooter broke down and couldn’t be repaired. Kenny was devastated. So, Amanda decided to share the news on his TikTok account.
“The whole point of it was to highlight to the world that this joyful guy isn’t always happy. There are struggles in his life just like everyone else,” Amanda explains. “But you too can overcome them and still be joyful.”
Comments came pouring in from fans saying that he should set up a GoFundMe so people could help him repair or replace his scooter.
“I had never even set up a GoFundMe before,” Amanda says. “I’d seen them, I donated, but I’ve never launched for myself. And right there in the coffee shop on my phone, I was like, well, let’s create an account.”
The donations started coming in, one after the next. Only a few days later, Kenny was floored again, this time to learn the funds had already reached $5,000,
“I had a hard time believing that there’s all them nice people who would do something like that,” Kenny recalls.
For veterans that need access to things like mobility scooters, medication, and mental health care, price is just one of the hurdles that many face. As it would turn out, the simple fundraiser that Amanda started on her phone in a coffee shop ended up raising over $110,000. True to form, Kenny immediately used the extra donations to pay it forward.
To reach as many veterans as they could beyond their circle of friends, Amanda and Kenny started a new GoFundMe to donate mobility scooters to other veterans in need. To date, their new fundraiser has generated more than $149,000, and they have given away more than 130 mobility scooters to deserving recipients.
“I want to do this more and more every day now, just to get out and help them and pay it forward,” Kenny says.
To support his cause, Kenny also established a nonprofit 501(c) tax-exempt organization, Patriotic Kenny Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to continue providing mobility scooters to vets with urgent needs, along with other resources to assist, so his pay-it-forward spirit can change lives for years.
Looking back, Amanda says, “It’s just amazing. We can only do so much by ourselves. When other people start joining the momentum, that’s when things get exciting.”
Providing the opportunities for others like him to live the same life of freedom, dignity, and happiness pulls on Kenny’s heartstrings.
“I just break down when we give these away,” Kenny shares. “It’s more than an honor. I guess I’ll put it to you this way—it feels like I’m going back into the United States Navy. We’ve got such a beautiful country, and we have freedom. It makes me so happy that we’ve got so many good people out there.”
Kenny’s is a story of restoring dignity, forging community, and showing people that small acts of kindness ripple outward. It began one day with a scooter and a Minnesota coffee shop and evolved into a social media sensation that mobilized millions of online followers, a few hundred kind strangers, and the steely devotion of one veteran to the principle of helping others.
His story has appeared across Reserve & National Guard Magazine, Parade Deck, and his own website, PatrioticKenny.com, where his mission to serve veterans is front and center.