240 organizations Row 1: K. Hersey, J. Cagle, A. Roberts, B. Krogull, A. Torres. Row 2: J. Grimm, N. Pinczuk, L. Jackson, C. Blakemore. Row 3: M. Jennings, L. Gurney, R. Mays, J. Kelley. Row 4: A. Simpson, B. Williams, K. Springer, D. Yates. Row 1: A. Hernandez, K. Rodriguez, A. Lopez, K. Lacayo, H. Dozier, K. Mayorga, E. Estrada. Row 2: L. Gutierrez, D. Hernandez, C. Cuadra, F. Morales, A. Coello. Row3: J. Elvir, M. Fonseca, C. Cardona, D. Alvarado. Row 4: F. Miron, M. Delatorre, J. Hernandez, L. Marchena. For many people the word joy meant happiness, delight, pleasure or bliss. The members of the JOY club knew it as “Jesus, Others, Yourself.” Senior Ashley Roberts, who served as president of the club, said this group consisted of women dedicated to doing God’s service by serving others in the community. “It has always been a pretty small group, but it was intimate,” Roberts said. “Our numbers are bigger than they used to be, which is great.” Roberts said the group met once a month and always tried to have a guest speaker. Speakers at these meetings were usually women from the community sharing about themselves and opportunities to serve. “Their talk usually acts as our devo, and then we do a service project afterwards,” Roberts said. The JOY club strove to affect the community as a whole through their service to individuals or specific groups. Senior Darla Yates said they had many opportunities to provide joy in other people’s lives. “Every year we put on an Easter egg hunt, which is our big project of the year, but we also do smaller projects,” she said. “We made snacks for kids at Hope Cottage, which is a shelter for abused women and children, and provided a Thanksgiving meal to two families in Searcy. We also helped the Rock House with ‘Trunk or Treat’ over Halloween.” The JOY club offered its members a way to join together and exhibit a shared passion for serving others. “When I saw the flyer to be a part of the JOY club and went to the meeting, I fell in love with it,” Yates said. “It was a time to fellowship with God, meet new girls and do a service project to help others. Plus, I didn’t have to pay dues. I quickly knew that it was the club for me.” The spirit of servanthood among the girls in the group drew people to the club. It also offered either an addition or alternative to being a part of a regular social club. Unlike many other social clubs where dues, T-shirts and functions could end up costing a lot of money, the JOY club was free of cost with the exception of a canned good here and there. At Thanksgiving, each member was asked to bring a canned good to the next meeting to help feed a needy family in the area. “We had such an overwhelming response from the members that we were actually able to provide two huge baskets of food, which went to two families in the area to make their Thanksgiving just a little more memorable,” Roberts said. “We also made Thanksgiving cards for children around the area.” Yates said when she had the opportunity to serve God and others, she felt refreshed and like a big weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The members of the JOY club were not only a successful means of spreading joy in the lives of people in the community, but they also had the benefit of receiving joy themselves through the work they did for the sake of Jesus first, and others second. Allison Weaver G i v i n g Joy Club Helps Community Through Service Joy Club JESUS Project
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