We are The Justification of Youth, but you can call us JOY. 

Our Story

Approaching a decade ago, JOY was formed at a university library in an Ohio college town after an all-call on social media. The concept was simple: one young woman saw an opportunity to lead her peers and professors to live a life with purpose through serving at-risk children in the Dominican Republic.

At the time, all her messaging was aspirational and invitational. She called that season “driving through the fog” because she knew she was building something, but she just did not quite know what she was building.

Like most origin stories, a motley crew assembled, and you can imagine a montage of white boards and coffee shops. They were hungry for purpose and believed that there had to be more to the story.

Approaching work from a foundation of love is not novel. In fact, it is ancient and goes back to the beginning —yes, the very beginning — the cool, garden-walking time before apples and serpents.

Love through course work.
Love through spring break.
Love through summer. 

Love through everything.