The Starfish Parable
One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked along, he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.
Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy replied, "I'm saving these starfish, Sir".
The old man chuckled aloud, "Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you! You can't possibly make a difference".
The boy, undaunted, bent over, gently picked up another starfish and tossed it into the ocean. He turned to the man and said, " I made a difference to that one!"
One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked along, he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.
Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy replied, "I'm saving these starfish, Sir".
The old man chuckled aloud, "Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you! You can't possibly make a difference".
The boy, undaunted, bent over, gently picked up another starfish and tossed it into the ocean. He turned to the man and said, " I made a difference to that one!"
About Us
Why We EXIST
As a "faith-based" organization, we at Room For Joy believe that part of our journey in life is to make a difference in the lives of others using the God-given gifts, talents and abilities that He has bestowed upon us. We think there is no greater blessing than to bring hope and joy into the lives of chronically ill children. Each time a room makeover is completed and a child hugs us and we see the look of joy on their face, we know that we truly are making a difference, one room at at time!
What We Do
Imagine the look on a child’s face the first time they walk into the bedroom they’ve always dreamed of.
A 6-year-old boy opening the door to his very own Yankee Stadium. A 7-year-old girl surrounded by a fairy-tale filled with castles and princesses.
Now imagine the pure joy and excitement that such a bedroom could bring to these children after returning from a painful chemotherapy session or hospitalization from yet another surgery. When returning home from the hospital, they are welcomed by the warmth and infinite possibilities of a bedroom designed around everything they love and dream about.
Room For Joy is an organization dedicated to creating such bedrooms and fulfilling these dreams for chronically ill children.
Our purpose is to design and create positive, imaginative bedroom environments with the hope of enhancing a child’s healing process.
The organization creates bedrooms based on each child’s imagination and unique interests using wall murals, custom furniture and creative accessories to change bedrooms into fantasy lands.
When designing and building the furniture, time is dedicated to concealing medical equipment, when needed, to provide a room that becomes a work of art replacing the intimidating look of medical equipment.
Room For Joy firmly believes that our environment directly impacts our emotional well-being and our emotional well-being directly impacts our ability to heal.
Join us in granting more children the opportunity to forget, if only for a moment, the pain and suffering of a chronic illness. You too, can make a difference for "that one"!