Joy Sewing
In 2015 she embarked on a campaign to bring joy back into her life. Despite her name, she felt she had lost some of that joie de vivre over the years. A former professional ice skater, she had long wanted to find a way to encourage more Black children to discover the sport. During this year she made the dream a reality by reaching out to Discovery Green, friends and coworkers. The result is a yearly ice-skating party for hundreds of children from underserved neighborhoods.
She formed Year of Joy as a nonprofit to allow her contacts and volunteers to donate in a tax-advantage manner. In addition to the yearly ice-skating party, Sewing organizes other great events such as superwoman bowling parties, movie nights and STEM educational events.
“So many people take for granted that children have joy in their life and they have fun just being a kid, but so many kids are dealing with different issues in their home environments and the day-to-day struggle of their parents,” she says. “They might not get to experience pure joy.”
Sewing, who is also a children’s book author, uses proceeds from a book she wrote about her dogs, Ava and The Prince, to help fund these activities for kids in Houston.
