Joni and Friends

On a recent Wheels for the World outreach in Jordan, our team met 14-year-old Hadi and his dad. Living with cerebral palsy and autism, Hadi has a wide, warm smile. And though his dad struggled to carry Hadi into the wheelchair distribution site, the deep love between father and son showed through with heartwarming clarity. Through all the hardships that come with Hadi’s disability, his father adores him, tenderly seeing to his needs. Still, the family couldn’t access the kind of wheelchair Hadi needed to get out of the house. When they arrived at our wheelchair distribution site, it was clear that a wheelchair would completely transform Hadi’s—and his father’s—situation. As Hadi got seated and custom-fitted in his new wheelchair, fresh possibilities and freedom immediately emerged for him and his entire family. He can leave his house and enjoy being part of his community—and his father no longer needs to carry him. Hadi and his father love being outside. Now, with his wheelchair, they can enjoy long, refreshing walks together. Around the world, the majority of people who need mobility-assistive devices like wheelchairs have to do without. And in regions where violent conflict rips apart lives and families, the critical needs of the vulnerable—especially people with disabilities—far too often go unmet. In places like the war-torn West Bank, or Jordan, many refugee families from Syria, Iraq, and other countries struggle for adequate shelter, supplies, and nourishment. This is where the needs of people with disabilities reach urgent and overwhelming levels. Amid the trauma and deprivation that radiate from conflict zones, people desperately need help and hope. Find out how you can bring critical help and hope to families living with disability: https://lnkd.in/euFBb8m7 #Faith #Mobility #Wheelchair #WestBank #Disability

For Bob and Ann Wescott, there's nothing like a Joni and Friends Family Retreat. They recently attended with their son, Joshua, who lives with disability. At Family Retreat, Joshua spent plenty of time with his volunteer buddy, Kristy, which allowed Bob and Ann to rest and recharge. Continue reading how the Westcotts were blessed at Family Retreat, and how you can get involved: https://lnkd.in/eaKm3iAU

Joni and Friends is so grateful to everyone who helps us extend practical help and Gospel hope to people living with disability! Our Wheels for the World™ program volunteers find their faith deepened as they distribute wheelchairs and Bibles to individuals with disabilities around the globe. If you are interested in volunteering for our Wheels for the World program, learn more at https://lnkd.in/eiuMVc4a. #Mobility #Wheelchairs #Volunteer #Faith

We are thrilled to announce two new roles within our senior leadership team at Joni and Friends. Donna Lucas has been promoted to Chief Marketing Officer and Jason Holden to Chief Operating Officer. These C-suite level roles will help the ministry serve the growing physical and spiritual needs of people living with disabilities around the world. https://lnkd.in/eBmaxVVN Help us congratulate these incredible leaders in the comments below! Donna Lucas, Jason K. H. #Leadership #Nonprofit #MinistryGrowth

Why do some hardships never go away? After living with quadriplegia for more than 5 decades, our founder, Joni Eareckson Tada, has learned that God uses suffering, especially the chronic kind, to rescue us from self-centeredness. "When I broke my neck, it wasn’t a jigsaw puzzle I had to solve fast nor was it a quick jolt to get me back on track. My spinal cord injury was the beginning of a long, arduous process of becoming more like Christ. There are times I wish it were easier, but I recognize I have a long way to go before I am like Christ, polished and complete in His image," says Joni. The good news is that God's grace is sufficient to sustain us through suffering. Read Joni's guest commentary for the American Life League. https://lnkd.in/gdxYkxng #Faith #Suffering #Jesus #Grace

We are hiring an Area Director for Joni and Friends Minnesota! Do you want to help create a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ? Are you skilled in organizational leadership? If so, God may be calling you to our team! Use your management experience to provide inspirational and operational leadership to staff, volunteers, and ministry partners. And as an innovative thinker, you'll strategically expand and improve the Area Ministry Office procedures, programs, and community awareness. Joni and Friends offers wonderful health benefits, generous PTO, and many opportunities for you to grow your faith through biblical leadership training and corporate prayer. Read the full description and discover if this role is right for you: https://lnkd.in/gXpsipDF See all of our open positions across the United States: https://lnkd.in/ehZudQbw #Hiring #NowHiring #Ministry

Who has two thumbs, is a proud husband and father, and LOVES being a part of Joni and Friends? If you guessed Mr. Doug Davis you are 100% correct! Over two decades ago, Doug began serving with Joni and Friends as a Family Retreat volunteer where his enthusiasm and leadership skills became evident as he led the teen program. Throughout the years he has continued to step up and now helps lead the parent program. His ability to connect with people of all ages and his passion for creating meaningful experiences have enriched our Retreats year after year. Doug is affectionately known as "DJ Doug" and is the life of the Neon Dance party! His awesome playlists and energy ensure that everyone has a great time! Doug's talent behind the microphone and his knack for encouraging everyone to let loose and enjoy the moment have made it a memorable part of Family Retreat. Doug Davis is an incredible volunteer and we are so grateful to be able to serve families living with disability alongside him. #Volunteer #ThankYou #Thankful #Serve #Charity

When Dr. Ben Warf, who sits on the Joni and Friends International Board of Directors, was growing up in a coal mining town in Eastern Kentucky, he had no idea that he would become a pioneering pediatric neurosurgeon and professor at Harvard Medical School. As the son of a Baptist preacher, he just knew he wanted to serve the Lord. An interest in science led him into medicine. When he felt called to serve disabled children in Africa, Dr. Warf thought he was leaving behind academic research to follow God. In reality, his time in Africa became the most academically productive time of his career as he pioneered a groundbreaking new treatment for hydrocephalus and other intra-cranial diseases in young children, for which he was named a 2012 Macarthur Foundation Fellow. Disability is a personal as well as professional topic for Dr. Warf. His daughter Sarah lives with a visible disability that affects her face. Listen to this special episode of the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast as Dr. Warf talks about how having a child with a disability has reshaped his heart and informed his work as a physician. "God intended Sarah—and every child living with a disability. He’s got much wider purposes, eternal purposes, many of which we don’t see," says Dr. Warf. We pray you are blessed: https://lnkd.in/gM48Ej4G #Medicine #Disability #Harvard #Hydrocephalus #MacaruthurFellow #Pediatrics

Some people seem to be able to maintain a positive attitude, even in the face of difficult circumstances. But it's not just a personality trait that makes this possible! Shauna Amick, M.Ed., Director of Direct Response and Radio Channel Marketing at Joni and Friends, recently joined the Q4 Impact Podcast to discuss being the parent of a child with special needs and how parents can find delight in the difficulty of disability. Listen and be blessed: https://lnkd.in/eHWadgD4 #Disability #Faith #Parenting #SpecialNeeds

Caring for a loved one with a disability can be a full-time job, and family caregivers require a break from the daily grind. But if you live in East St. Louis, where the nearest disability services lie well outside the city limits, getting time to breathe can feel impossible.    Respite has been identified as a top need for families living with disability in East St. Louis, and the international disability ministry Joni and Friends is here to help fill that need.     On June 14, Joni and Friends broke ground on Joni’s House, a disability center for respite care in East St. Louis.     Joni’s House will serve East St. Louis through day programs for adults with disabilities, and after-school programs for school-age children with disabilities. Both programs will operate with the aim of providing practical help and Gospel hope to families from the community.  There are already Joni’s House programs throughout the globe, providing faith-based care to families with disabilities in low-resource countries.   Joni’s House East St. Louis will be the first Joni’s House in the U.S., and as Joni and Friends has laid the groundwork for this endeavor, many have asked “Why East St. Louis?”  The leadership of Joni and Friends felt called fulfill the mandate of Luke 14 to “Go out quickly…and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame…so that my house will be full.” (Luke 14:21, 23) Local faith and civic leaders explored the idea with Joni and Friends identifying the local needs—and the great potential—for the community and Joni’s House programming was developed accordingly. Joni’s House will be part of a hub of revitalization in East St. Louis. Once built, Joni’s House will lie within two miles of the Illinois State Highway Patrol, the Jackie Joyner Kersee Boys & Girls Club, and the newly renovated Lansdowne Center. For more information, visit https://lnkd.in/eZAWku2w. #Faith #Disability #Respite #Revitalization #Groundbreaking