By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. Nobody can deny that we live in a seriously troubled world. 2018 has so far seen increasing evidence on a daily basis; international terrorism, the murder of innocents, more ongoing and seemingly endless partisan political bickering than we’ve ever seen before, and so the list goes on. What a depressing … Read More
The “Season of Giving” is Over, but as Hunger and Homelessness Continue – Assistance Still Needed
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. For about two months out of each year, the telephone at Joy Junction, New Mexico’s largest emergency homeless shelter, practically rings off the hook with calls from happy sounding voices offering food, volunteer help and monetary gifts. Our online giving portal at www.joyjunction.org is also a hive of activity, with … Read More
Why Do They Send all Those Requests for Money?
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. It’s that time of year when your mailbox fills up quickly with holiday solicitations from charities-both local and national-all asking for your donation. I know, because Joy Junction contributes to your mailbox infusion. While we mail all of our regular donors monthly, during the holiday season we make an extra … Read More
Skeptical Homeless Speak Out about their Hopes from the New Mayor.
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. One compares politicians to addicts and says they lie, deceive and manipulate With Albuquerque’s mayoral runoff on the home run and the partisan jabs going back and forth, we asked a few shelter guests whether they thought the new administration would make any difference in services provided by the city … Read More
What’s So Special About 1440?
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. All the partisan political sniping, pious pontification and nastiness that’s still being unleashed over social media does nothing except take away time and valuable creativity from the 1440 minutes available daily that we have to make a difference in the lives of the needy. If we spend the discretionary portion … Read More
Being Homeless is Tough But You Can Help
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. There’s probably not a day that passes when you don’t see a homeless person, or a panhandler who is possibly homeless, in Albuquerque. Here’s a shocking statistic. In 2016 the estimated average life expectancy in the U.S. is 79 years old and a 2014 article pointed out that the normal … Read More
Half Full or Half Empty?
by Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. The sun’s shining and you feel great. The job interview you had yesterday for your dream job with a much needed pay increase seemed to go well – much better than you had ever thought – and you feel on top of the world. You decide to celebrate with a … Read More
True Love Starts with the Kiss of Hearts
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. What makes the “other heart” of Joy Junction beat with such a resounding passion for the needy? As the old song says by veteran Christian musicians Steve and Annie Chapman “True love starts with the kiss of hearts.” It continues to say, “Though a kiss may be the end result, … Read More
The Never Dull Life of a Mailbox Missionary
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. While we didn’t start off that way, many of us who stay working for non- profits very long turn into mailbox missionaries – which can be conveniently shortened to the letters MBM. But what, you may ask, is an MBM? Well, a MBM was once defined as someone who goes … Read More
Joy Junction at 31. Turning 60, Shelter Founder and CEO Has Spent More Than Half of His Life There
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. Joy Junction is three decades plus old. It is hard to believe the shelter I founded turned 31 this year, and turning 60, that I’ve spent almost half my life at what has obviously now become a lifetime calling. Looking back, it seems just like a short time ago that … Read More