Student Contributor -K. Hylton
Joya Child & Family Development is an organization that provides early intervention services to children age’s birth to three who have developmental delays and disabilities. They provide personalized treatment and therapy for every child and work around the family’s needs in order to give the child the best possible care. They 
offer therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, aquatic therapy, and special education for all the children who are receiving services from Joya.
Joya’s biggest goal is to provide services so that babies and toddlers dealing with developmental disabilities and delays get the help they need to realize their full potential. Each year, Joya serves nearly 300 children in Spokane County, providing comprehensive expertise and resources that help kids and families thrive. Also every year, donations support 40% of their expenses and this money goes directly to decreasing the cost for children and their families who are receiving services from Joya. Eight of every ten children Joya helps come from families who are low income and can’t afford the costs and co-pays for treatment, and Joya never turns away a child due to a family’s inability to pay. Joya also equips families with skills and knowledge they need to continue helping their child at home.
A way that teachers and students could partner with the organization to make a difference would be through holding a penny drive at your school. Once a year, Joya holds a whole community penny drive where schools can collect money to donate. They also have a Kids for Kids Community Day Penny Drive where volunteers stand on popular street corners to collect money from cars driving by. Joya accepts donations all year long, so a penny drive can be held at school during any time of the year. By holding a penny drive at your school, students can easily bring in whatever spare change they have and donate it to the donation buckets and feel like they are making a difference in their community. The school can decide the time period they want to have their penny drive for and at the end of the penny drive the money can be directly donated to Joya.
