PROJECT SPREAD JOY
ABOUT US
ABOUT PROJECT SPREAD JOY
Project Spread JOY is a 501(c)(3) NC non-profit organization that "Joins Older Adults and Youth" via Phone or Mail for Sharing, Caring & Laughter.
THE PROJECT'S HISTORY AND FOUNDER
During COVID-19 when he lost his grandmother, Nana Helen, Drake Griffith recognized the monumental need for older adults to have regular and lasting social connections. The pandemic and its after effects greatly limited senior citizens from seeing their loved ones due to visitation restrictions and/or the fear of spreading the virus. Limited technological knowledge on behalf of many elderly people only compounded this challenge. Drake knew he needed to take action to help alleviate the growing loneliness being experienced by many seniors, and he came up with the idea for Project Spread JOY.
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THE PROJECT'S MISSION AND GOALS
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In describing the mission and goals of Project Spread JOY, Drake states:
"Project Spread JOY not only serves a positive purpose during the current COVID-19 crisis, but it also serves to create lasting cross-generational relationships long into the future. Being able to build and maintain a relationship with a senior citizen is something that every young person should have an opportunity to do. The amount of wisdom and advice that can be exchanged between generations is limitless."
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THE PROJECT'S ORIGINAL PARTNERS
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Drake contacted two of his close friends, Harrison Powe and Reilly Kungl, and together, they started the non-profit in June of 2020.
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The PROJECT'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE
Through high goals and hard work, the original JOY partners, team, and their successors have built Project Spread JOY into a nationwide community service venture with the following impressive accomplishments to date:
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Over 180 Teen Volunteers Recruited
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Over 7500 Letter Requests Sent to Senior Citizens
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Telephone Reach out and Support for Older Adults
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70+ Pen Pals Created
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14 States Reached
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Donation Drives for Essential Hygiene and Personal Items for Low Income Senior Citizens
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
We are very excited to continue our season system! A season lasts three months. During those three months, we keep track of how many letters each volunteer writes. As the volunteer writes more letters, they move up in tiers. The tiers are as follows: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond. As the volunteer moves up in tiers, they gain more and more rewards!
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Project Spread JOY's first season after its launch was a spectacular success!
Given this success, we decided to put into place other initiatives. These include:
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Increasing your season letter total by recruiting your friends to become volunteers;
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Increasing your season letter total to increase your chances of winning gift cards, raffles, and other prizes;
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Winning Project Spread Joy merchandise!
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We will continue to expand and capitalize on Project Spread JOY's success with many more ideas in the works!
MERCHANDISE
WE are happy to announce our BRAND NEW MERCH!
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This has been in the works for a while now, and we are super excited to unveil JOY's new different types of clothing, designs, and colors as apart of our first edition of Project Spread JOY Merchandise!
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If you want to check it out, just click on the button labeled "Website" and it will take you to our merchandise site.
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All proceeds will go towards continuing JOY's mission of SPREADING AS MUCH JOY TO SENIORS AS POSSIBLE!
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