Atlantic Ave Magazine September 2023

Joycelyn Patrick
regulars | city people
If you were to make up a story about a young girl who
grew up to embody God’s commandments, you would
need more than 10 to describe Joycelyn Patrick.
by diane feen | Photo by Olen Whiteley
A Rarified World of Life, Love
and Commitment To Delray Beach
The born and bred Delray Beach native flows
easily through life determined to make a difference.
Her head knows what is going on, and
her heart is the translucent wrapping paper that ties
it all together.
If you haven’t heard the name Joycelyn Patrick
there’s a good reason. Her deeds do not make headlines
in the paper, not does she announce her accomplishments
with press releases or mailings.
Instead, Patrick navigates the streets of Delray
Beach (and non-profit organizations) as a fine weaver
would a tapestry of gold. Her Southern charm invites
you in, and her bold dynamic determination assures
you that things will get done just as they should.
Patrick was raised by parents (and grandparents)
who imbibed good citizenship, hard work and an altruistic
underpinning to help others.
That legacy is the meaning and motion of her life.
She has lived in the same house that she grew up in
and remembers when Delray Beach was a tiny dot on
the huge terrain of South Florida.
“I was born and raised at a time when people in
Delray were close, compassionate and cared for each
other. There was also a strong sense of community.”
That sense of community (and compassion for
neighbors) may not be the overriding creed in our
modern world, but to Patrick it is everything. That’s
the reason this retired businesswoman has her stakes
in the ground where they matter most.
She is the President of the GFWC Woman’s Club
of Delray Beach, the oldest charitable organization
in the city. The club, established in 1902, donates to
non-profit organizations that help women and youth
in the city. They recently created little libraries called
“Books in the Park.”
Patrick admits that she likes to break the glass
ceiling in her own way. And break it she does. She is
the first black president of the GFWC Woman’s Club
of Delray.
She also got a proclamation for the 121-year-old
woman’s club that she felt deserved recognition. On
August 16th, 2022 the GFWC Woman’s Club of Delray
Beach received a proclamation from the mayor and
the City Commission.
As Maya Angelou has said, “If you don’t know where
you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.”
For Patrick these words are the GPS imprint of
her life. Her Delray Beach history is her legacy and
her joy. It’s engraved on her heart and is the headlight
for her merger with greatness.
“One of the reasons I’m so involved is because I
believe it’s important to maintain that sense of community
I grew up with in Delray. It is also my civic
duty to give back to the community that has given
me so much.”
Patrick is a woman of her word.
She is the Moderator of the Trustee Council (and
parishioner) at the Church of the Palms in Delray
Beach. She has participated in the “Delray Reads” initiative
since its inception, and assists the 2nd graders
a few days a week at S.D. Spady Elementary School.
Spady is where she, her siblings, and her children
attended. It is also where her beloved eight-year-old
granddaughter Xandria goes now.
Patrick, who believes that literacy is of utmost importance,
is on the board of the educational non-profit
Roots and Wings. She was on the Healthier Delray
Steering Committee and Governance Board, and was
President of the Delray Beach Sunrise Rotary Club.
Patrick also served on the city’s Planning and Zoning
Board and was President of the West Atlantic Avenue
Redevelopment Coalition.
She has also been on the planning committee
of the Delray Beach Police Department’s National
Night Out event.
Despite all the activities and newness that surrounds
Delray Beach, Patrick delights in the small
town she grew up in. “Delray was always a quaint
quiet town. Then, all of a sudden… boom…everything
is busy and there are people everywhere.”
But Patrick doesn’t keep this treasure to herself.
She invites others to join her. Cheryl Haywood is one
of them.
“I moved to Delray in 2014 and Joycelyn took me
under her wing. She has become a trusted friend and
mentor. I can talk to her about anything without judgment.
I’m blessed to have her in my life.”
Nonjudgement and giving without strings is only
part of the Patrick family creed. Her mother took food
and clothing to families in need in Delray Beach and
their daughter follows precisely in their footprints.
Her father Charles owned the La France Hotel ( a
COPYRIGHTED
76 | september 2023 | www.AtlanticAveMagazine.com