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mokenamessenger.com news
the Mokena Messenger | December 6, 2018 | 5
Marcia Tracy picks out a toy that will go to a fourth-grade boy as part of his Christmas gift
from My Joyful Heart, a Mokena-based organization.
Nonprofit brings Christmas cheer to children
Amanda Villiger
Assistant Editor
When providing food and
shelter are the biggest financial
concerns a family faces,
the extra things — such as
new clothing or Christmas
presents — can often fall by
the wayside.
Each year around Christmastime,
My Joyful Heart
provides Christmas gift bags
to children in the Chicago
area’s south suburbs. This
year, that number is near
1,000 children.
Founder and Executive
Director Diane Carroll said
many of those children are
part of families with a single
mom who is just trying to
make ends meet and provide
for their children.
“I was a single mom. I
raised my three kids. Believe
me, I know the challenges,”
Carroll said, “So I
have great compassion for
these single moms, which
make up most of the program
kids.”
The Mokena-based program
started back in 2002
when Carroll set out from
the basement of her home
to help two children. Since
then, the organization has
continuously grown and
outgrew its previous location
more than three years
ago.
Not only do the children
in the program receive gifts
during the holidays, My
Joyful Heart also provides
gifts for them throughout
the year, including birthday
presents.
“It helps out tremendously
that they get these gifts consistently,”
Carroll said. “...
They feel better about themselves,
they’re doing better
in school, they have a whole
better attitude because now
the playing field has been
leveled between the haves
and the have-nots.”
In all, the organization
utilizes the help of about 45
volunteers. Last week, those
helpers were busy picking
out gifts and packing those
gifts up for children in need.
Children in the program
are typically enrolled by
a social worker from their
school, who then fills out a
profile on each child, including
their age, favorite color,
interests, reading level and
grade in school.
“That helps us fill their
needs,” Carroll said, “So
that we know what their favorite
color is, if they like
the action figures, and what
the girls are in to and stuff.
So it helps us fill their needs.
It’s not just a one-size-fits-all
organization. It’s a very personal
one.”
My Joyful Heart recently
finished collecting gifts
from their giving tree, where
many local businesses were
able to contribute gifts for
Jan Fitzgerald, of Frankfort, helps pack presents for the holiday gifts that will be given to
children in the Chicago are and south suburbs through My Joyful Heart.
Photos by Amanda Villiger/22nd Century Media
the holiday bags.
In addition to toys and
clothing, Carroll said books
are always included in the
gifts, which she said has
helped many of the children
with their reading skills.
The organization supports
babies and young adults up
to age 22 before they age out
of the school system. Carroll
said the organization’s help
for the older ones is crucial
because many of them have
special needs, are homeless
or are struggling find work
while learning a trade.
After receiving a gift from
My Joyful Heart, the organization
requests children
to write a “thank you” letter
as part of the process, which
Carroll said many of them
do.
“It’s part of the education
process, is the way I look at
it,” she said. “...We get such
heartwarming thank you
notes.”
Marcia Tracy picks out a book that will go to a fourth-grade
boy as part of his Christmas gift from My Joyful Heart, a
Mokena-based organization.
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