Christmas Shopping on Amazon? You Could be Helping My Joyful Heart!
If you shop on Amazon, you can now help Amazon send a donation of 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to My Joyful Heart. Simply go to smile.amazon.com and log in as usual to your Amazon account.
You will then be able to select "My Joyful Heart Nfp" as your charity to support. Then shop away as you normally do on Amazon! That's it!!
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If you stopped in the ministry center for a visit, you might think you're at the North Pole! We've put up our Christmas tree and decorated our offices with poinsettias. But, it's the team of volunteers working faster and harder than Santa's elves who are spreading Christmas joy. They've been putting in extra hours to prepare the over 800 gift bags for the Christmas Gift Event and they're certainly in the holiday spirit - sounds of laughter and Christmas carols fill the air as they work.
If you want to join in the camaraderie, call or email us today. Volunteer hours have been expanded from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. |
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Proceeds from the Mokena Mayors Charity Golf Outing provided gifts for several local charities. My Joyful Heart was one of the organizations benefiting from the event. Last month, Mayor Frank Fleischer gave stipends to local charities and charitable organizations on behalf of the Mokena Mayors Charitable Foundation during a meeting at the Village of Mokena office. My Joyful Heart is very grateful to have received a donation and we offer thanks to our Mayor and the members of the foundation! |
Will you help us? We need:
- batteries - AA, AAA, and 9 volt
- copy paper - white and colored
- brown grocery bags
You can drop off these items at our ministry center located at 9981 W. 190th Street, Suite I, Mokena.
Thank you in advance for your help. If you have questions, email or call us at 815.806.1700. |
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It's chilly outside, but our hearts are warmed by a letter we recently received. This is how your support helps our program children:
"I want to say thank you for blessing me! Thank you for always being nice to me. Thank you for praying for me! Thank you for loving me. Thank you for writing nice words. Thank you for my clothes. Purple is one of my favorite colors. I can cuddle with the bear you gave me every night! Thank you for my very own body wash. It smells so good. Thank you for giving me books to read. I read my books with my Mommy every night! Thank you for remembering my birthday!"
We really felt appreciated after reading this letter, and we hope you do too. We look forward to seeing you in 2016! |
#GivingTuesday
Thank you to everyone who donated to My Joyful Heart on Giving Tuesday; we appreciate your support. If you did not donate on December 1, but would like to, there's still time! Please click here to donate through CrowdRise until January 7, 2016!
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The ministry center is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m to 3:00 p.m.
If you have donations to drop off, please drive around to the back of the building and ring the doorbell. We'll be happy to help you unload your vehicle. |
Do you have experience planning events? If so, we'd love to hear from you. My Joyful Heart is looking for a part-time Fundraising Associate.
If you are interested, please email us your resume and cover letter. |
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My Joyful Heart's mission is:
Nurturing disadvantaged children with the love of Jesus Christ by providing life's essentials so they thrive!
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As 2015 comes to an end, I have joy in my heart when I reflect back on the many blessings our Lord has provided. We moved to our new ministry center, we have unending support from school staff, sponsors of children, volunteers, and donors. We had an amazing time at our annual dinner dance fundraiser where we celebrated with friends, both old and new. And, most important, we were able to provide for nearly 1,000 children in need.
It's truly been an exciting year, and I am grateful to the Lord and to each and every one of you. No matter what your role is at My Joyful Heart, you have touched the lives of the children in our program. I thank you and they thank you.
Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ is such a special time of year. For My Joyful Heart friends, I pray your season is filled with love and happiness. Thank you again, and may you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
For the children we serve,
Diane Carroll
Founder & Executive Director
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The editor of The Frankfort Station newspaper will be at the ministry center on Saturday, December 5, to interview some of our volunteers for a seasonal broadcast series called "Benevolent Burbs." The series features members of the community giving back for the holidays. We are grateful for the opportunity to spotlight our team of amazing volunteers. We know how awesome the My Joyful Heart volunteers are, now we have the chance to let our neighbors know too.
If you are interested in being part of the story, please join us at the ministry center at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. We look forward to seeing you!
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Do you have a "hard to buy for person" on your Christmas list? Well, we have solutions! You can participate in these great fundraisers AND give hope to children in need.
1) Purchase a 2016 Golden Opportunities Coupon Book - Give the gift of discounts to dozens of local restaurants, movie theaters, grocery stores, and more. For only $25 you can help someone special save hundreds of dollars. This book offers the opportunity to take advantage of incredible discounts and coupons throughout Chicagoland's South Suburbs. To purchase a book, send us an email or call 815.806.1700.
2) Manna Express - Use gift cards when you shop, buy gift cards to use as gifts! It's fast and convenient and you can purchase gift cards from stores you already patronize. Click here for the latest Manna form and send your form and payment to My Joyful Heart. Gift Cards will be delivered in time for Christmas on all orders received from now through noon on December 14, so place your order today.
There are so many good reasons to purchase Manna gift cards:
- They make great gifts-gift cards are always the right size and color.
- You can use them for your own holiday shopping and never worry about credit card fraud.
- With EVERY gift card purchased a portion of your purchase is given back to My Joyful Heart.
- You will feel good about helping children in need every time you shop!
Please help us give hope to kids in need this holiday season!
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We mentioned it in the last newsletter, but in case you missed it...we have reached our pillow goal of 1,000 pillows! Through your individual donations and the donation of 493 pillows from our friends at Bedgear, every child enrolled in the My Joyful Heart program will receive a brand new pillow! We appreciate your support and thank you for helping a child in need sleep a little easier. Click here to learn more about Bedgear and their performance bedding products!
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My Joyful Heart
Ministry Center
9981 West 190th Street
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