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This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
Studies have shown that participating in arts programs can help children read and write better, be more focused in class, raise test scores, develop higher self-esteem and solve problems more creatively. Arts programs can also help at-risk children get higher grades and an improved learning experience. Jane Joy knows all about this research and it's one reason she started her non-profit, The Joy Foundation in Bountiful. She worked with youth in custody for 15 years before starting her foundation in 2002.
Jane wants to help all kids involved with the foundation feel like they have worth. The purpose of the Joy Foundation is to help youth discover talents, develop confidence and overcome adversity through the arts. This is done through children's art classes and projects taught to youth who come to the center and in other locations the foundation is serving. They also offer special events like open mic night or the annual talent extravaganza, both of which provide opportunities to perform.
At the Joy Foundation, their goal is to reach out to struggling kids and give them a sense of belonging. The Foundation has grown larger and more successful each year. Part of that is due to their biggest event, the Magic on the Sidewalk event in Bountiful. In 2014, over 95 artists participated and 20,000 visitors attended. This is professional artists displaying works side-by-side with kids 13 years old and up, all along the streets. Jane says the community loves it, and it gives the kids a sense of feeling and purpose, as well as creates awareness about her foundation.
She learned her passion for at-risk kids and the arts while watching her father as the administrator for the Utah State Prison. Her success speaks for itself in the dozens of letters Jane receives from students the Joy Foundation has helped over the years who say it helped turn their lives around.
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For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
Joy Foundation 745 S. Main St. Bountiful, UT 84010 801-349-5778 www.kidsfindjoy.org
