Project Spread JOY is a NC non-profit organization that "Joins Older Adults and Youth" via Phone or Mail for Sharing, Caring & Laughter. At its inception, Drake Griffith had this idea after the passing of his grandmother, Nana Helen. He realized there was a monumental need for social connection among older adults. Drake Griffith reached out to two of his life-long friends, Harrison Powe and Reilly Kungl, and they started JOY together as partners. 

Due to COVID-19 and its aftermath, the need for social connection among older adults is greatly heightened:

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• With visitation restrictions, the family and friends of many older adults in retirement communities cannot see their loved ones in person.

• With limited technical knowledge, many older adults cannot reach out and connect to people online like younger generations.

These reasons have contributed to Project Spread JOY's success.

Project Spread JOY has even farther-reaching intentions. As Drake Griffith, Project Spread JOY's founder, states:

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"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 is

something that every young person should have an opportunity 

to do. The amount of wisdom and and advice that be

given from older generations is limitless."

We are very excited to commence the start of our new 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, with over 2,000 letters sent out during its first two months! Each season thereafter has continued to see growth. As Project Spread JOY continues to grow in popularity, our rewards will get bigger and our volunteers will have more fun! 

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Due to its success, we put into place other initiatives. These include:

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• Increasing your season letter total by recruiting your friends to become volunteers

• Increasing your season letter total to increase your chances of winning raffles for gift cards and other prizes

• Launching for-sale 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!