Joy 21 Trustee’s Annual Report
April 2024- April 25
Joy 21’s mission is to share the message of joy and positivity to all new and expectant parents of a child that just happens to have Down syndrome. Joy 21 has partnered with the American charity PALS to bring their wonderful ‘Congratulations Project’ books here to Northern Ireland, to be given to new and expectant parents of babies that have Down Syndrome.
Our proceeds go towards producing our New Parents Congratulations Packs which contain the Congratulations book, along with the details of local support groups for that area, and some gifts for the new parents/arrival. We have continued to develop and build our packs which now contain the Congratulations Project book, a T-shirt for the new baby which states, ‘Born to take on the World’, our 3-star congratulations bracelets for the parents/guardians and a letter from us.
During the 2024–2025 period, the charity again experienced a period of reduced activity, largely due to ongoing personal circumstances a�ecting the trustees. As a result, operations remained largely dormant and the charity was unable to progress its usual program of work.
Notwithstanding this, the trustees continue to be fully committed to the charity’s aims and objectives and intend to re-establish regular activity as circumstances allow. We have also continued to receive positive feedback about our packs from a wide range of professionals and families, including midwives, nurses, pediatricians, therapists, parents and carers. This ongoing feedback reinforces the value of the charity’s work and its ability to deliver a message of joy and reassurance to new parents during what can be an uncertain and challenging time.