We, as in the committee and myself, get lots of questions about The Joiner Foundation (TJF) and what the organization is/does. Well, to put things plainly, we "help as many people as humanly possible" through scholarship and service. Scholarship is in reference to the book scholarships we hand out annually. Service is in reference to the projects that we put on, such as Rejuvenate Earth, Back to school Drive, etc. I plan to do a bit of a deeper dive into our origin story and who we are, so keep reading.
The Joiner Foundation started in January of 2017. It was my second semester of college. I had been wanting to do a scholarship for my high school with one of my friends, but it never came to fruition. After entering college and seeing my friends with non-profits, and even serving as Director of Creative Arts for one of those non-profits, I felt like I was the only person holding myself back from creating my own non-profit. I spoke to my grandmother about the idea and we brainstormed everything. So, maybe I should say we co-founded it, huh? Well, it was launched in early January with the Adolphus Dixon Book Scholarship.
Wanting the organization to do and be more than just a once a year scholarship giving org, we added on other projects. We did a prom dress drive, Project Gala Gazam, but we only did it that one year after seeing that it was difficult. This project taught me to always have a plan B. We added on other projects like Project Rejuvenate Earth (local clean up initiative - around Earth Day) and Project Paper (Back to School Drive). We try to do something most months. Some things we do in connection with other organizations. We are truly a service organization.
The best part about this org, and the thing that keeps it afloat, is the commitment of those who help - both friends and family. This would not be successful without the help of the committee members. I cannot thank them enough for donating their time, talents, and money. This would not be possible without them. It genuinely takes a village.
We have grown in members, but also in projects. We have started another book scholarship, added on new projects for spring 2021, and more. I am always thrilled with the ways in which this foundation challenges us. This is truly a passion project and I am excited to be helping as many people as humanly possible through scholarship and service, even if that's on a small scale currently.
To learn more, visit: thejoinerfoundation.org.
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