As cliché as it sounds, it’s truly astounding that yet another year has passed. While 2020 provided unexpected challenges, we were also presented with the opportunity to create an even greater impact. Over the past year, Spread the Joy has celebrated many milestones and has widened our reach to spread joy to the hearts of many. Keep reading to discover some of our highlights from 2020 and learn more about what happens behind the scenes.
January 2020: Joy Box Design Contest
In January 2020 we kickstarted our Joy Box Design Contest, which ended in February. The goal of this contest was to get design box submissions from kids aged 4-18. We love to include kids in spreading the joy every chance we get! We were lucky enough to receive submissions from individuals across the globe – from Nigeria to Belize to the United States. After some really difficult decision making (there were so many amazing designs), Lola Lowe’s submission from Hopewell Valley Central High School won.
February 2020: Our First Gala – One More Day to Spread the Joy
Before the pandemic struck, Spread the Joy celebrated our first annual gala. The event was quite the success with over 150 attendees and $50,000 raised. We are so thankful to all of our Spread the Joy supporters and the opportunity to showcase what we’re all about.
March 2020: Empowered Women, Empower Women
Let’s hear it for some girl power! In March we published a blog post on all of the strong women who are part of our Spread the Joy team. Haven’t read it yet? Check it out here!
June 2020: Using our Voices for Good
In June, we ran a mini campaign to raise awareness for #BlackLivesMatter.Since our audience consists of a lot of families, we focused on sharing resources and books that parents can use to start the conversation about race with their kids.
On June 19, 2020, our first shipment of 100 Joy Boxes were delivered during COVID-19. While the pandemic kept us on our toes, we took the opportunity to pivot our operations to ensure we could get as many Joy Boxes to our deserving little heroes. It’s times like these that a moment of joy is so important.
August 2020: Another 100 Joy Boxes Delivered
During August we used our back-to-school energy and mobilized our Joy Box packing power to deliver another 100 Joy Boxes!
October 2020: #SpreadtheTreats
While we were still able to deliver many Joy Boxes to children in need during the pandemic, we realized we needed to make a change. Prior to COVID-19 one of our main ways to get lots of Joy Boxes assembled was through packing parties, which were no longer viable due to restrictions. We also realized that many families were searching for fun and pandemic proof ways to celebrate Halloween. That’s when we decided to launch our #SpreadtheTreats campaign: a fun, family alternative to trick-or-treating to celebrate Halloween with your loved ones.
Our campaign launched on October 7, 2020 and resulted in 2,300 Joy Boxes being packed and delivered. Talk about impact! We are so thankful to our Joy Packers and supporters – this level of impact would not be possible without you.
November 2020: Three Campaigns and $38,800 Raised
Even though 2020 was starting to wrap up we weren’t done spreading the joy yet! On November 11, we launched the I Commit Day Campaign with Athletifreak, where the proceeds of a marathon and virtual 5K race were donated to Spread the Joy. The race was held on January 1, 2021 and we raised a total of $15,000. Not only did participants get some exercise to kickstart the New Year, they donated their time and commitment to a worthy cause.
Before the beginning of the holiday season, we also launched our #BoxesOverBaskets fundraising campaign. In light of the corporate giving season, we encouraged people to donate a Joy Box and give the gift of meaningful impact. We are so proud to announce that we raised $16,000. That’s a lot of Joy Boxes and we couldn’t be happier!
Finally, our last campaign was launched at the end of November with the UNITY team. We raised a total of $7,800 thanks to our partners at UNITY and are so appreciative of their continued support.
December 2020: Finishing the Year on a High Note – Giving Tuesday, a Rebrand and Juju Smith-Schuster
To kickstart the final month of the year, we launched our Giving Tuesday Campaign. Thanks to our supporters on social media for sharing our mission and posts, we were able to raise $5,000. What a meaningful way to give back after Thanksgiving and spread some joy to those who need it.
We wanted to reflect the evolution of Spread the Joy with our new look and on December 2, 2020, we launched our new brand! For our long-time supporters, you may have noticed a shift in our colors, website and social media.
On December 3, 2020, we launched our campaign with JuJu Smith-Schuster of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Thanks to JuJu we were able to spread some extra joy this holiday season!
After our Joy Packers were hard at work, on December 4 our #BoxesOverBaskets Joy Boxes were ready to be delivered! We were able to distribute 2,182 Joy Boxes this holiday season. We are so proud of everyone that made this happen.
2020 was one for the books! We delivered a total of 4,682 boxes, gained 150 new Joy Packer volunteers, ran 10 campaigns and serviced 123 hospitals across the US. Thank you to the Spread the Joy family for helping us fulfill our mission. Our dedicated Joy Packers, volunteers and donors allow us to spread joy to as many kids as possible. We are looking forward to spreading more joy in 2021 with all of you!