Share in the JOY is not your average nonprofit. We support the children we serve like no one else.

We don’t just provide services for kids, we empower kids to GIVE BACK, to grow, and ultimately shine. Programs like JOY’s Caring Crew puts children in the driver’s seat of service, teaching them the power of compassion by helping others. Share in the JOY Day at Child Haven connects older youth with businesses sympathetic to thier situations and offers resume building, mock job interviews and even onsite testing for food handlers cards.

And then there's our signature events. From HoliJOY, where hundreds of foster children come together for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday experience where they 'shop' for gifts to GIVE during the holidays and experience the 'other side' of Holiday Magic.... to Fatherfigurehood where youth without a positive male role model in their lives build life skills and mentorship bonds by being paired with men who care... to Empowering JOY where we work to break the chain of abuse by empowering women and the children who look up to them.

The unique approach which is the foundation of success for our events simply doesn’t exist anywhere else.

The focus of every program, initiative and event is simple. We serve children. Specifically, we support children (and their families) in three specific areas.

1. Chldren in foster care (including kinship and fictive kin placements) and youth aging out of the system transitioning to independent living

2. Children exposed to domestic violence and/or living in DV shelters

3. Children whose families are housing insecure or homeless

We also support  the animals connected to the children's stories.

Through programs like Furnishing JOY, JOY’s Caring Crew, Fostering JOY, and Share in the JOY Day at Child Haven, we bring practical resources, stability, and hope to children and families who need it most.

But we don’t stop there. Share in the JOY brings nonprofits together to leverage strengths instead of duplicating efforts, and we connect community partners with causes they care about so they can make a direct impact in the lives of youth.

The result? A powerful, united community working side by side to help children feel safe, seen, and supported.

This is what makes Share in the JOY different. 

This is how we maximize our impact. 

This is how we bring hope, healing, and JOY to the children who need it most.

Share in the JOY exists to bring hope and healing to children facing some of life’s hardest challenges. 

We serve children in foster care, children exposed to domestic violence, children from families who are housing insecure or homeless, and the animals connected to their stories.

Through programs, events and partnerships, we provide resources, create JOYful experiences, and foster connections that help children feel safe, seen and supported.

Watch this video to see a recap of our very first event as a nonprofit back in 2023

Through thoughtfully designed programs and events that create stability, mentorship, and joyful experiences, we aim to ease the challenges of foster care and help children feel safe, supported, and seen.

By partnering with local shelters and creating programs that foster safety and healing, we strive to support children affected by domestic violence and provide them and their families with the resources to rebuild their lives with dignity.

Through our Furnishing JOY program and community partnerships, we provide children experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity with essential furnishings and a stable environment, helping their families rebuild with dignity and hope.

Through partnerships with local shelters and programs that engage kids in service, we support the animals whose lives are connected to children in foster care, domestic violence shelters, and housing-insecure families, ensuring pets are cared for and helping children heal knowing their companions are safe.

And why so broad focused?? Children in Foster Care AND Homeless Kids AND Children Exposed to Domestic Violence AND... Animals?!?

People often ask how Share in the JOY began, and the truth is, it started small and with one simple idea. I thought it would be special to hire Santa to visit a foster family for Christmas. That one idea turned into our very first HoliJOY event in December 2022, when 34 kids at St. Jude’s Ranch got to experience the magic of the holidays in a way they’d never forget.

Before that first event was even completed, St. Jude’s asked if we could host the party again the following year, but this time for all 200 of the children they serve. That’s when I realized this was bigger than just a holiday celebration. This was the start of something that could truly change lives, and that’s how Share in the JOY was born.

While developing the vision, the mission grew. It became clear that the challenges kids face are deeply connected. My fiancée had lost her mom to domestic violence when she was a teenager, and understanding that heartbreak opened my eyes to how violence in the home is oftentimes related to other tragedies. Children escaping violence often lose their homes overnight and sometimes end up in foster care. Families without housing face the kind of stress that could lead to violence. At the end of the day, the kids are the ones who carry the weight of it all.

So we will support the children. The ones in foster care, the ones exposed to domestic violence and the ones who don't know where to call home.

As a dad, I wanted to show my own children what it means to lead with kindness and courage. When I told them about the vision and mission for Share in the JOY, my daughter stopped me with a simple question I’ll never forget:

“But what about the animals?”

"We are going to help children..."

"But animals can be lost, hurt by other people... and we adopted Charlie!"

It was in that moment that Share in the JOY would be created to support animals as well.

But she was right. Kids in foster care, kids escaping domestic violence, and kids without housing often have to say goodbye to the pets they love most. Those animals end up in shelters, and the children worry about them just as much as everything else. Their stories are tied together.

And so here we are. Share in the JOY serves children in foster care (including kinship and fictive kin placements), children exposed to domestic violence and living in shelters, children from families without stable housing, and the animals connected to their stories.

From a single Santa visit to life-changing programs and events, every step of the journey has been about one thing: making sure kids feel safe, seen, and supported. We work to remind them, and even the pets they love, that they are never forgotten.

And the name? My daughter's middle name is Joy. Inviting community partners, nonprofit partners and volunteers to Share in the JOY of working together to make a difference makes sense.

By working with nonprofits that share our commitment, developing programs and providing organized events for Children in Foster Care that focus on sibling reunification and positive experiences we can help ease the stress and anxiety of foster placement for children.

Through organized events that create a sense of security for Victims of Domestic Violence, we can help families heal and provide resources and tools to help facilitate the process as they work to move forward towards better lives.

Through food, clothing, and essentials drives and distribution events, we can create opportunities for caring volunteers to make a difference in the lives of our local Homeless population.

By raising awareness through education and working with nonprofit partners with fundraising and adoption events we can reduce the number of Animals in Shelters and help provide better lives in environments that benefit them and the families and individuals who adopt them.