It is impossible for us to name every single person who has influenced Joy’s House to be who we are – simply impossible. But what we can do is celebrate you. During this month of thanksgiving, we want to show our gratitude for how you have helped shape this incredible organization.

Twenty years is a long time, friend. And whether you have been to an event, volunteered in our garden, renovated, helped clean the house, spent quality time with the Guests, run a marathon, raised money, donated paper products, sent a donation, been a Guest, participated as a caregiver, shared a post on social media, said a prayer or shopped at a yard sale, you have had an impact on who we are. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for changing lives through your involvement with Joy’s House. We hope we have made you proud.

When you ask Melissa how she feels about Joy’s House, she is quick to respond with “How do you thank an organization that saved your life twice? My mother (dementia related to brain infection) and my sister (breast cancer metastasized to the brain) were separately Guests at Joy’s House. Joy’s House kept them safe and socialized, but more important, they appreciated them as individuals.”

Melissa is a caregiver at heart. It doesn’t matter if you are family by blood, family by choice or someone she just met. She cares deeply for people. As a result, she finds herself wanting to give back, and when she does that at Joy’s House, everyone wins.

She volunteers to help touch lives, creates heartfelt artwork for us to showcase on our walls and makes very possibly the best sugar cookies known to mankind, which she hand-created over 1,000 cookies branded with our logo, as we celebrated recognition as the Most Outstanding Adult Day Center in the nation back in 2015.

She will tell you that “the balance will never be reconciled when it comes to my family and Joy’s House.” What she doesn’t realize is that she doesn’t owe Joy’s House one single thing. She trusted us with the care of the two women in her life that she loved the most. Our hearts were paid in full when she chose to call us family too.