Joy Closet leaders unveiled their plans to expand and strengthen the support they provide to children in the foster care system at the nonprofit’s annual dinner on Tuesday.
Joy Closet is a Hopkinsville based nonprofit focused on supporting foster care children and foster families in the Pennyrile region by providing them with need-based donated items and other services.
Over the past year, Joy Closet Executive Director Heather Gray shared that they have served 930 children and 433 families and have provided over 1,630 shopping trips for children in in need.
In 2023, Gray announced their plans for the Hope House. The Hope House will offer temporary lodging and accommodations to children who have been removed from their home while DCBS workers find placements for them. On Tuesday, Gray shared that they will be hosting a ribbon cutting for the completed Hope House on September 5.
The nonprofit’s Eagle Fly Program supports children who are aging out of the foster care system. In the program, youth have adult mentors that help them learn how to navigate adult life.
To expand that support, Nonprofit Assistant Director Julia Roberts says they have partnered with a local landlord to establish the Eagle’s Nest Housing Program to provide safe and stable housing for young adults who have aged out of the foster care system.
Roberts says the program offers a scaled rent system that works with their residents’ income. Those in the program will also be taught how to budget and maintain their household.
Gray says they were also able to expand their Children in Crisis Program through a partnership with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. She says the program reduces the number of children that are removed from homes for poverty or environmental-related reasons.
The dinner’s guest speaker was Bishop W.C. Martin the pastor of Bennett Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Shelbyville, Texas. Martin, along with other families at his church adopted over 70 foster children in Possum Trot, Texas in 1997. He shared his story and spotlighted the importance of providing homes for children in the foster care system.
Then to conclude the dinner, Roberts and Gray announced that their second annual Lip Sync Battle will be returning to the Alhambra Theatre on January 24, 2026. Roberts shared that the first Lip Sync Battle event held earlier this year raised around $13,000 which supported the Hope House’s completion.
More information about Joy Closet is available at joycloset.org.