"Although the force of one person fully committed to God is tremendous, it pales in comparison to the force of God's people moving together. While never violating our uniqueness, we move together, united in heart and soul. Our greatness is unleashed in the context of community. When we move together, God is most perfectly revealed in us. We become an unstoppable force." Erwin Raphael McManus (an excerpt from the "The Barbarian Way")
We exist to enhance the healing process of chronically ill children through creative bedroom design and to provide an opportunity for young people and communities to reach beyond themselves with financial support, service and prayer.
It is said that happiness and laughter are the best medicine and Room for Joy creates bedrooms that provide those vital elements for children during their medical treatment and subsequent healing process. From the depths of the rainforest to dragons locked in dungeons to Spider-Man and Disney Cars, our bedrooms capture the wildest imaginations and dreams of children. Our Designers, Master Carpenters and Artists work diligently to create custom furniture to contain and conceal medical equipment to ensure the child’s room looks less like a hospital and more like their very own sanctuary.
A person’s environment can have a great impact on their health and mentality and these bedrooms provide an opportunity for children to escape their everyday battles and hardship and to focus on something positive and uplifting. Children who struggle with a chronic illness have to endure situations and circumstances that many adults have never encountered. Creating dream bedrooms for those whom we are privileged enough to work with gives them a chance to forget, if only for a moment, the pain and suffering they are enduring and relish in the joy of just simply being a child.
More importantly than providing a child with their dream bedroom, Room for Joy’s purpose is to connect the child and their family with a church in their area in an effort to ensure the family receives much needed support, encouragement and love. We encourage the churches to develop a long-term relationship with the families through continuous ministry and outreach efforts. As Christians, we are called to love our neighbor, serve our community and exemplify Christ in all we do. Room for Joy’s desire is that by connecting local churches with those in need, people will feel loved, communities will be transformed and God will be made known.
Room for Joy partners with Phoenix Children’s Hospital and is working with other hospitals and their Child Life Specialists who select each child based on their condition and the inability of their families to provide an environment that promotes the healing process.
Based on the strong relationships the Child Life Specialists have built with children who are what they refer to as “frequent fliers”, the team determines which child is most in need of a dream bedroom. From their recommendation, Room for Joy then meets with the child and his/her family. In this meeting we start developing a relationship with the child and learn what their likes and interests are. Based on that conversation, the concept and theme of the bedroom is determined and a timeline is set until the room will be completed.
The construction of a bedroom is a 3-day process. We begin on a Friday morning with the room reveal on Sunday afternoon. Many volunteers work tirelessly throughout the weekend assisting the Room for Joy team with whatever is needed and also cleaning the house as a special surprise for the family. Room for Joy has over 250 volunteers that make these rooms a reality.
It is important to Room for Joy that the children and their families are given the opportunity to get away and spend time together. During the weekend of the room completion, we send the family on a weekend getaway. We have built strong relationships with local hotels, resorts, restaurants and other businesses that generously provide their services, products and activities to the families free of charge. Placing the family in an environment that is meant to be relaxing and fun provides them the opportunity to spend time together and focus on one another.
