Joy to the Children
Press Release
Submitted by Loyd Pakradooni
joytothechildren.org
November 16, 2019
2019 Joy to the Children Volunteer Opportunities:
We would love to have you join our volunteer team. There are a variety of volunteer opportunities that would meet your talents and interests. We can promise you a feel-good experience.
At the Christmas Day party we request that all the volunteers be age 18 and older. This is part of our attempt to protect the identity and confidentiality of the children who are our guests on Christmas Day.
The following is a list of dates when we could use your help in volunteering:
Pre-Christmas Volunteering:
Dec. 1 (4:00pm – 8:00pm): Toy Shopping
Dec. 8 (4:00pm – 7:00pm): Clothes Shopping
Dec. 8 (5:00pm – 8:00pm): Clothes Boxing
Dec. 20 (3:00pm – 6:00pm) Gift Transport
Dec. 21 (9:00am – 12:00pm): Gift Wrapping
Dec. 21 (10:30am – 12:00pm): Ice Cream Scooping
Dec. 21 (11:00am – 1:00pm): Party Set-Up/Decorating
Dec. 24 (time to be assigned): Food Pick Up & Delivery
Christmas Day Opportunities Must be 18 years of age or older:
Dec. 25 (11:00am – 3:30pm): Family Angel: Assigned to one family to be their host, assistant and guide throughout the party.
Dec. 25 (11:00am – 3:30pm): Gift Deliverer: Assist with distributing the Christmas gifts to the children during the party.
Dec. 25 (11:00am – 3:30pm): Gift Station Monitor: Supervise a Gift Station so gifts are disbursed properly by Gift Deliverers only.
Dec. 25 (11:00am – 1:00pm): Guest Check-In: Assist in the check-in process of guests.
Dec. 25 (10:00am – 11:30am): Volunteer Check-In: Assist in the check-in process of volunteers.
Dec. 25 (11:00am – 3:30pm): Busser: Walk through cafeteria and help dispose of finished meal plates and garbage.
Dec. 25 (1:00pm – 3:00pm): Pound Puppy: Wear Pound Puppy costume and circulate off and on during the party.
Dec. 25 (1:00pm – 3:00pm): Pound Puppy Guide: Assist a Pound Puppy in safely walking through the party.
Dec. 25 (11:00am – 3:30pm): Elf: Help children line up to meet Mr. and Mrs. Claus and have pictures taken.
Dec. 25 (11:00am – 3:30pm): Photographer: Take picture of families with Mr. and Mrs. Claus using a Polaroid camera.
Dec. 25 (11:00am – 3:30pm): Face Painting Assistant: Help to manage the line of children waiting to get their faces painted.
Dec. 25 (11:00am – 3:30pm): Craft Station: Oversee organization of craft table and disbursement of crafts to children.
Dec. 25 (3:30pm – 5:30pm): After Party Clean Up & Transport: Clean up after the party and then transport items to storage unit.
Please go to our website and fill out our application form: Joytothechildren.org
(look for the Volunteer tab on the left)
You can also contact our Volunteer Coordinator by phone: 904-557-0206
Donations are greatly appreciated!
Our Story
In 1995 Mike Smith and several of his friends, who called themselves “The Orphans” (because they were empty-nesters, widowed, or divorced), decided that rather than spending money on each other at Christmas time, they would pool together their resources and help some children in need. At the time I was working as a Children’s Case Manager with Nassau County Mental Health (now known as Starting Point), and The Orphans came to us in search of children they could help. We were excited to accommodate them with about 30 families in need.
Ever since 1995 we have helped approximately 65 families each year… that’s about 160 children every year. We look for families that will “likely not have Christmas otherwise,” and invite them to our Christmas Day celebration. Local restaurants donate food for the party, and the children visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus who bring them gifts and necessities.
What a great time the families have! They are entertained by live music, caroling, face painting, crafts, pirate invasion, and clowns. The children receive clothing, a backpack, school supplies, toiletries, books, a blanket, sheets, a pillow, and toys… all purchased specifically for each child based on their age, gender, size, interests, and hobbies. Bibles are also available to the families if they choose to have one.
In all reality… JOY is a wonderful experience for both the families AND for our volunteers. Several hundred volunteers assist JOY in every step of the production. Volunteers coordinate logistics, shop, wrap presents, and decorate for the party. About 80 volunteers come on Christmas Day to help at the party; some work in the kitchen, and some, our Family Angels, provide one-on-one service to assigned families for the day.
We are a non-profit with no paid staff and minimal overhead, mostly all of the donations go straight to serving our guests.
We serve only children and their families from Nassau County. The families are identified and referred to us via agencies which monitor and assist the homeless of Nassau County. We always make an effort to cross reference our guest list with other holiday assistance programs to ensure that those we serve are not being served elsewhere.
Please consider joining our efforts.
Dawn Grant, President