Waves of Joy: How Media’s Be The Joy Foundation was born
Hey! My name is Brittany Scharr. I’m the founder and CJO (Chief Joy Officer) at Be The Joy Foundation. It has been an incredible last few years. From one small act of kindness to a full-fledged nonprofit organization on a mission to spread joy, one surprise act of kindness at a time. Here’s the crazy story…
Where it all began
For a decade until early 2019, I was part of the restaurant industry. Those years shaped me profoundly, and I hold a special place in my heart for food service members. The restaurant where I worked became my second home, my co-workers family, and the guests, my friends.
Just weeks before the pandemic shutdowns, an unexpected closure of my workplace led me to a different career path. While I had moved on, many of my closest friends hadn't. When I heard about a second wave of indoor dining shutdowns looming before Christmas 2020, my heart ached for these friends who depended on those shifts to make ends meet.
Spirit of giving back
Browsing local Facebook groups, I realized others shared my desire to give back to the industry that had shaped me. I hatched a plan: surprise 12 service industry staff with $100 cash each during the 12 days leading up to Christmas. To kickstart the $1,200 fundraising goal, I donated $200 and began spreading the word on social media.
The response was absolutely overwhelming! Within a day, we'd raised $500! That was just the beginning! Nominations for deserving servers and bartenders flooded in. Committed to transparency, I filmed the surprise giftings, sharing exactly who and where we gifted. The community's reaction to these heartwarming moments was incredible—thousands of dollars poured into the GoFundMe over the next week. Our daily giftings quickly grew from one person to five, then ten!
The bigger vision
As the ban on indoor dining extended, donations kept flowing. I realized I'd created a channel for kindness, and as long as people wanted to give, I'd keep gifting. The surprise giftings caught the attention of local and national news stations, spreading our story far and wide.
The recognition our original mission gained was eye-opening. With continued local community interest in resuming gifting in December 2021, I knew we had something special. From this momentum, an entire organization dedicated to spreading joy was born!
We continue to spread joy
Today, we continue to honor our mission of spreading joy. With support from hundreds of community members and many local businesses, we continue to lift our community and the people who need a helping hand every once in a while. With your help, our mission keeps on moving forward and the waves of joy keep rippling through Delco.
Make someone’s day!
There you have it. That’s the origin story of how we came to be. Now joy’n us and let’s make someone’s day!
