Do you want to be a part of bringing joy to people in Lexington? At the end of January, a group of volunteers, led by Awesome Inc co-founder Brian Raney and his wife Michelle Raney, as well as Garrett Ebel, will be doing just this. This winter, the Joy Project will be helping a family with 4 children, 2 of whom have special needs, build a therapy gym in their home. The children have Sensory Processing Disorder, and often have trouble reacting appropriately to the world around them. Michelle Raney says this gym will benefit the family by providing their children a source of sensory stimuli to help them learn, all in their own home. “We have a special love for children with special needs. As a speech therapist, I see first hand the benefits of carrying over strategies and techniques in the child’s home environment. Therapy equipment can become costly, so I proposed the idea of helping a family make a dream a reality by helping them create a sensory space in their own home,” she says.

So how can you help with the Joy Project? Volunteers will be “hanging suspended equipment, creating a calming space, building a climbing structure, sewing tunnels and blankets, and more.” If that sounds like something you might want to do, sign up to volunteer on Eventbrite.

One more thing: when you participate in the Joy Project, you aren’t just bringing joy to others, you are bringing true, lasting joy to your own life. The Joy Project was started on the idea that continuous joy is better than momentary happiness, and that continuous joy is brought about by unselfishly creating joy for those around you. By being a part of Joy Project, you meet wonderful families from throughout Lexington, and are able to share your continuous joy with them.