Girl Scout troops play a major role in keeping to our commitment of Zero-Waste by creating recycled items from blanket scraps. Below are  just a few of the amazing service projects that Youth Groups have participated in. It not only shows their simple acts of kindess towards those who are ill or less fortunate, but the dedication and character of these fine young boys and girls!


Joyful Youth Superstars:

The Benedict Girls: Lauren and Audrey Benedict were selected as two of the US Bank Angels Kids Go Beyond winners and were honored at the Angels game on Sunday, August 15, 2010.

Our thanks go to Bridget Beldon (founder of Ripple Kids) for nominating the Benedict girls for their involvement with The Joyful Foundation. Lauren and Audrey Benedict (along with their 5 year old sister, Julia) are the epitome of Ripple Kids and have completed several projects including collecting beanies for kids in the hospital who are undergoing cancer treatments to their most recent – teaching kids how to make dog toys using discarded fleece from The Joyful Foundation.

Their ongoing project took place over 6 weeks from June through August 11, 2010. Every Wednesday from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, they volunteered their time at The Joyful Foundation store in Tustin, California to teach kids how to make dog toys which are then sold to raise money for The Joyful Foundation to make more blankets. The best part about this project is that the Benedict girls saw how much fleece was being discarding each month, and they came up with a way to use the fleece to help others and reduce waste!

Tustin Girl Scout Troop 1847: The wonderful girls of Tustin Troop 1847 make dog toys for The Joyful Foundation. The dog toys are sold over the holiday’s to raise money to buy fleece for making the Joyful blankets. The blankets are comforting to people undergoing chemotherapy and many others in need. We appreciate all their hard work and dedication in making both dogs and people happy!

Jackson Neidermayer: The son of Scott and Lisa Neidermayer (of the Anaheim Ducks) asked for donations to The Joyful Foundation in lieu of gifts from his friends and family for his 10th birthday. Jackson collected nearly $3,000 including a new stack of $2 bills and presented his donation to The Joyful Foundation. This is an amazing and selfless act of kindness from a young man with a heart of gold!

Dallas Meldrum: A 13 year old Life Scout from Allen, Texas, promoted The Joyful Foundation by handing out brochures and selling hand-made fleece dog toys at a Walmart store. Community service is part of the requirement for earning the Citizenship in the Community merit badge and becoming an Eagle Scout. His service project raised $265 for The Joyful Foundation!  You are a  huge inspiration to others so please keep up the good work!
Spencer Knowlton: Instead of celebrating a 12th birthday with a party and gifts, Spencer Knowlton instead used the opportunity to pool the money to donate to the Joyful Foundation, a total of $400! Thank you Spencer, your generosity is greatly appreciated.
THE SUNSHINE KIDS

The Joyful Foundation often donates our time and resources to assist The Sunshine Kids. In only a few weeks time, The Joyful Foundation produced 356 blankets during the 2010 Holidays for an event at Hollywood Studios for children with cancer. The Joyful Foundation has already sewn & delivered over 500 blankets to The Sunshine Kids!

Visit www.sunshinekids.org to learn more about this great organization!


Ripple kids 

The Ripple Kids is another wonderful organization that The Joyful Foundation often partners with to promote youth involvment in local communities.

Ripple Kids was founded on the principle that children can be an amazing resource to help resolve issues in their communities. They have a fresh perspective and unlimited ideas about their world and how to make it better. All they need are the tools and support to make amazing things happen.

Visit www.RippleKids.com to learn more about this great organization!

The Benedict Girls & Sandy Berg-Whiley




Tustin Girl Scout Troop 1847




Jackson Neidermayer




Dallas Meldrum



Spencer Knowlton