After providing resources to foster children and families across the Pennyrile region for nearly two years, Heather Gray the Executive Director of Joy Closet spoke at Thursday’s Kiwanis Club meeting where she shared their plans for the Hope House and how the community can help.
The local nonprofit focuses on helping foster care children, families and children in crisis by providing them with need based donated items such as clothing, toys and sanitary products. However, since the organizations inception, Gray says they have been working to expand what they are able to offer families and children in need.
Gray spotlighted their Eagle Fly Program which serves to help teenagers learn how to navigate the world before they age out of the foster care system. Without support, Gray says many teenagers who age out of the system end up homeless or in trouble with the law.
With the Eagle Fly Program, Gray says they have worked to ensure that teenagers have what they need as they approach adulthood and help them with finding jobs and applying for college.
Along with focusing on career development, Gray says teens are partnered with a mentor where they learn life skills such a cooking, how to change a tire, doing laundry and other tasks that parents typically teach their children.
Gray says the program has been a success and is excited for it to grow. Those interested in be a mentor can apply at joycloset.org.
Gray also shared the steps the nonprofit has been making toward the establishment of the Hope House. The Hope House will house children who have been removed from their homes instead of having them be placed at a Department for Community Based Services office. Gray says the Hope House will have resources for children and keep them comfortable as members from DCBS search for homes for them.
Gray says when children are taken away from their homes and families, it is most likely the worst day of their lives and the last place they should be is in an office that may not have all of their accommodations. After over a year of working toward the Hope House, Gray says they are partnering with Legacy Metals to help construct the house and they have just gotten their floor plan approved yesterday.
Now that their floor plan has been approved, Gray says their next step is finding a half an acre of land for the house to reside and Gray is asking for the community’s help.
For those who want to support the establishment of the Hope House, Gray says they may plan a public forum sharing more about the Hope House with the community, and if anyone knows of land where the house can be constructed, Joy Closet can be contacted at 270-632-1232 or joyclosetky@gmail.com.