The JOY Umbrella

03/20/2026

Calling all Women Warriors 💪
We are so excited to announce a partnership with some local businesses to create Empower 2026 Photoshoot.
Photoshoot will be local in the STL area.

PM us or text us at 636-233-0809 if you or someone you know is interested!

✔️ You’re a woman survivor or currently undergoing treatments from cancer (18 years or older)

✔️ June 2026 (looking into availability)

✔️ Free!

Limited Spaces 🙂

Contact us today so we can plan on coordinating the resources to Empower Women Warriors 💗

03/20/2026

Still a few days to get your butter braids, cookies and pizzas in! All come frozen, delivery or pick up available on or after Thursday, March 26th.

Text us at 636-233-0809 with any questions

03/10/2026

Big Updates!

We closed our 2025 Christmas season with 100 patients adopted! We've searched for our last post for the season and sadly, it looks like it got lost in FB land....
We want to thank the following for bringing the JOY Train deliveries to 100!
Thank you Lindsey from PA, thank you for several anonymous donations (6!), thank you Jason S. from Missouri for having a FB Birthday fundraiser and celebrating your birthday with us, raising $97 (4 patients adopted), thank you Tom's coffee fundraiser for Nov/Dec, thank you Kathi M. from IL for reaching out again over the years and adopting 4!

The annual $1,000 college/tech school scholarship is available, deadline is April 30th! Will post a separate link to share.

Show Me Dough frozen cookies, pizzas and butter braids will help fund the scholarship. As we continue to grow the scholarship fund, we hope to increase the scholarship and/or add 2 scholarships.

We are excited to share more JOY in 2026!

Please comment below ways that we can share JOY together as a community. We would love to learn other ways that can help a cancer patient.

03/10/2026

Spring is in the air and it's that time of year AGAIN 🙂
Support Local! Proceeds benefit The JOY Umbrella 501(c)(3), we help cancer patients find JOY in the JOURNEY. We run 2 campaigns during the year: a Hawaiian-themed event in the summer and our huge Christmas season campaign, where it all started many years ago.

This fundraiser will help a high school senior who has cancer or who has battled cancer as a child with a college/tech school scholarship.

As you may know or may not know, The JOY Umbrella was founded to bring JOY back in the lives of cancer patients here locally. Dacia, our founder and Chief JOY Director had AML Leukemia in 1981 with 2 brain tumors.

Time to stock up on your butter braids, pizzas and AMAZING cookies from a local company here in STL, Show Me Dough Fundraising. Delivery is 3/26/26; We can deliver to you in STL area on or after 3/27/26 or pick up is available in 63304.
NOTE: This is a local fundraiser, no items will be shipped. 😉

Thank you for your support and know you can touch a heart and eat yummy food too!

01/28/2026

01/28/2026

Thank you so much for partnering with us to support cancer patients! We are so excited!

Coffee for a Cause...Looking for a great cup of coffee and a way to give back to a local charity? Stop by the SSM Medical Building off Kisker Road on Thursday mornings in February and March from 9:00-10:30 am. A portion of the proceeds will be given back to The Joy Umbrella. The Joy Umbrella is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting cancer patients. They bring cheer to their lives with essential toiletries and warm, joyful gifts.

☕️ The JOY Umbrella

01/01/2026

Happy New Year! Here’s to 2026 setting new goals and triumph over the smallest JOYS in your life. Start your JOY Jar today 🎉

12/08/2025

Today is a busy day in the cancer clinic. Patient numbers are up for chemo and radiation, some have to endure both 🥲

It’s not too late to give a cancer patient a tote bag full of goodies. $25 Gives JOY straight to their ❤️

Big thanks to Margie Van Liere and Krista Robinson James for bringing us to 70 patients 🥰

Venmo

12/02/2025

We are jumping for JOY after Pam and Mark adopted 4 more!!

Thanks to both of you cheering us on 👏

Ready for #67, #68, #69 and #70 to bring us to the 70 adoption mile?

12/02/2025

Overnight, Carrie Schmidt Bolt and Alan came back to Give MORE JOY by adopting 4 more patients 🎉

Brings us to 62 adopted!! Woo hoo!!

Thank you so much!!!

288 patients to go 🥳

Here’s a throwback to the early days…Our founder and Chief JOY Director Dacia’s son helping bring goodies to the patients.

Did you know this season is our 13th 🎅🏻 holiday season for the cancer patients? 🙌

12/02/2025

Today is

$25 provides a tote bag full of goodies for local cancer patients in the St. Louis area. That's the price of 3 coffees from a drive-through chain.

Patients receive a reusable tote, a blanket, essential toiletries including anti-bac, hand lotion, chapstick, tissues, wool socks for men and fuzzy socks for women. Men's socks are more expensive this year so the women this year receive a mini nail file and an inspiration notepad. Other items include a bag of candy including candy canes, chocolates, lifesavers, gum, etc. A JOY volunteer weighed the candy bag this year and it was .47 pounds! Almost 1/2 a pound!

This year, we also found some cute hard cover spiral journals that include post-it notes and a wooden pen! Every year, the patients receive an ornament that simply states "JOY" and of course a card. Each card is handwritten with your name or business on it when you adopt.

Did you know the patients choose the blanket they wish to receive and some want to get a blanket to gift it to their child or grandchild to give them a gift this Christmas? For some, it's all they can do, no time to shop and sadly for some, it may be all they can afford or even their last Christmas holiday.

A simple $25 tax-deductible gift has a ripple effect on the caregiver and the entire family. Our goal is to bless 350 patients.

Give MORE JOY here:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/adopt-a-chemo-patient--2025

or venmo The JOY Umbrella

The JOY Umbrella 501(c)(3)
EIN: 87-1625066

Your support makes a world of difference for a chemo patient this year. ❤️ Through our Adopt-a-Chemo Patient 2025 program, you can spread joy and hope into someone's healing journey. 🌞Join us in creating an uplifting, supportive space where every individual can thrive mentally and emotionally...