Children and families are calling out for your support.

“My husband and I have not had a free weekend day in over 2 years. We are raising our great-nephews and their mother works weekends. We cannot find anyone that will agree to watch them, so just being able to go out to breakfast, talk to each other and run errands was so refreshing! Thank you SO much for providing this service. We have been on the waiting list for respite care at Easterseals for more than 2 years. Our community really needs more respite services!”

“We have only been to one respite day and let me tell you it is a game-changer!!! My husband and I have no family or friends around here so it is so nice to be able to bring our son someplace that understands the needs our son has. We had our concerns at first especially being our first time. But after seeing how happy our son was we definitely will be having our son attend respite days in the future. It also gives time for my husband and I to just be together uninterrupted. The burnout for parents and caregivers is real and I am so happy to have found this program!!! I just want to add how much I appreciate the volunteers that help out. Also thank you to the donors and the sponsors.”

The outpouring of support from our donors has brought Joyful Friends to life and positioned us to fill a need in our community. Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who also have behavioral challenges, are often left out of existing service models for after-school and summer camp. Joyful Friends was created to provide an opportunity for these children to thrive. We need your support to fulfill our vision of a world that embraces the neurodiversity of humanity where every child with developmental and intellectual differences will be able to access superior quality after-school and summer camp programs tailored to their needs. With your help, we know we can do it.