An Evening of Joy

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 42nd Annual Spring Gala & Auction! It was an incredible evening filled with generosity and celebration. Joya grossed $385,135 for our pediatric therapy program. If you missed the event, read on to learn more about the impact of Joya’s program, as shared at the auction by a current Joya family. Thank you for your giving spirit and the kindness shown to the children and families we serve!

Monet’s Journey to Joya as told by her parents, Genevieve and Ryan, at our annual spring gala and auction!

The birth of our daughter Monet brought us more joy than we ever could have imagined. Her smile, her 90% sweet and 10% saucy personality as well as her kind and loving nature make us happy every single day.

When we first brought Monet home from the hospital, after 9 days in the NICU, she needed the assistance of a feeding tube and oxygen. After a few weeks at home, Monet decided she was done with the feeding tube, so she ripped it out and we never looked back.

During Monet’s time in the womb we discovered that she has Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome. Via conversations with friends and family, we were fortunate enough to learn about Joya and their wonderful services. As soon as Monet arrived home from the hospital, her in-home Joya services began, which were crucial for her development right from the beginning. On a weekly basis, Monet’s physical and speech therapists would visit our home. Each week the therapists would work with Monet on an individual basis to give her the tools she needed to progress and thrive. After Monet had open heart surgery at seven months old, her therapists tailored programs that helped her rehabilitation which led to a speedy and successful recovery. Our therapists have always been so sweet and kind and Monet loves her interaction with them each week.

Joya not only provides assistance to children like Monet, they help the parents and families of children like Monet too. Joya gives us the knowledge, tools, resources and exercises Monet needs to help her thrive, which is happening! Like most first time parents, we had a lot of questions and our Joya therapists were always there to help us find those answers. Monet’s therapists have been instrumental in so many important aspects of her life including learning to eat, to learning to crawl, even learning to get down safely from the sofa. Teaching Monet sign language has always been a priority of theirs and now Monet knows many signs, which has been incredibly helpful as her speech continues to develop.

Once Monet turned two years old, she was able to start attending in-person classes at the Joya facility (have you seen it?!…it’s an incredible place) with other children. This exposure to other children with different ability levels has really heightened the pace of Monet’s development. There is a near 1:1 ratio of therapists to students in Monet’s classes at Joya. The level of attention dedicated to each child is off the charts.

Monet will turn three years old in December and will graduate from Joya. We will miss the love, care and attention she has received her entire life from the dedicated team at Joya, but know that Monet will be prepared for the next phase of life, thanks to the holistic care she received from Joya.