One of the cards to be given out on February 13

The Junior Joy Team will be planting our first seeds of joy in the heart of our hometown: Vancouver USA’s City Hall. We picked February 13th, the first day of Random Acts of Kindness Week, to do our very first Junior Joy Team project. The inaugural group of 10 Junior Joy Team kids, ranging in age from 6 to 11, will deliver little packets of happiness to all 260 city employees working in City Hall. Starting with Mayor Tim Leavitt and City Manager Eric Holmes.

The packets, hand-packed by the kids in heart-covered bags, include cards with positive messages and drawings from the children (like the one pictured above), a Bit-O-Honey, a chocolate kiss, and a “LOVE your life” card from The Joy Team. Before scattering joy on the first day of Random Acts of Kindness Week, the kids will learn about each city department housed at City Hall and how the work of those employees improves our lives.

We think it’s a great way to start this young group of joy spreaders. And we think it’s an exceptionally great way to start Random Acts of Kindness Week.

What are your plans for February 13 – 19?

Amy Bebo
Cedar House Media
Dana Damara
Michele and Brian Larsen
Carol McKeag, CPC
Jennifer Powers
Cherie Waatti
Zen Flow Yoga

Thank you all for starting 2012 by helping us spread joy, optimism and inspiration! Thank you, thank you!

I am so super excited to introduce you to The Junior Joy Team: a group of children coming together to spread joy, experience the depth of community connection and discover the power they hold within themselves to be happy.

We’ve just had our second meeting today, during which the inaugural group of kids sat down to put joy on paper.  Their works of art will soon be spreading smiles, as the first Junior Joy Team project is set for Monday, February 13th–the first day of Random Acts of Kindness Week.

The inaugural members of The Junior Joy Team

Stay tuned for the official announcement about the first Junior Joy Team project.  Meanwhile, we’ll post photos as we go on our Facebook page.

Come out for some Joy & Juicy Inspiration this Saturday with Women of Visionary Influence! I’ll be speaking, and so will the fabulous Susan Glavin of Be The Gift.

Saturday January 7, 2012 at The Melting Pot (downtown Portland near 5th and Park)
11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Come at 11 to meet and greet!
$15 for WOVI Members, $25 for Guests, Includes lunch

Seating is limited. Reserve your ticket now.

Registration closes at noon on Friday January 6, 2012.

Picking up balloons at Dollar Tree

My dear friend and fellow spreader of joy Dana Layon-Damara of Zen Flow Yoga and I, along with our kids, went out to pick up 75 smiley face balloons today. Add those to the 20 already in house and there are now 95 big yellow smiles filling my living room (aka: The Joy Team office).

These balloons, each accompanied with a specially-made card, are destined to to spread joy to every single patient spending Christmas in the hospital at Legacy Salmon Creek.  The cards carry simple wishes of joy and love and will be signed by several folks tomorrow before each are attached to a balloon. We’ll be delivering these bright bundles on Friday to Legacy Salmon Creek and the good people working there will pass them out to each patient on Christmas Eve. Our hope is that these small tokens will bring big cheer to not only the patients, but also to the hospital staff.

A big shout out to Seth (wearing the Santa hat above), one of two managers at The Civic Dollar Tree on West Burnside in Portland. He went out of his way to help by driving around and picking up enough smiley face balloons to fill our order.  He had them filled and waiting for us when we got there.

And some more love to Camille Hollingsworth and CRAVE Portland!  The raffle she held at the CRAVE Chat last month raised $88 for The Joy Team–and almost completely paid for this holiday cheer project.

Christmas is just one week from today and I find I’m singing Joy to the World in my head with increasing frequency the closer it gets. I just can’t help myself.  But because I can’t remember all the words I keep making up different ones. Fun, playful, joyful words.  And I put them down on paper.  Then I invited people to come over and sing them.

We sang. And drank coffee. And ate pumpkin bread. And sang a bunch more.

In the end we came up with a very playful, joyful version of Joy to the World that we hope makes you smile.  Maybe even giggle a little. So, in the spirit of love and joy and laughter, here’s a little ditty we did for you (and for us, too):  Joy To The World ala The Joy Team.

That beautiful, strong voice you hear is Michelle Wirta’s of Spiral Life Consulting. Isn’t she awesome?

Feel like singing along?  Here are the lyrics, along with a holiday wish or two.

Chalk the Walks on August 23rd

Here’s a FUN way to spread joy that the whole family can be part of. All you need is a little sidewalk chalk and about 10 minutes on August 23rd.

Chalk the Walks (a project of The Joy Team) is all about spreading joy, optimism and inspiration through the magical power of sidewalk chalk.

Remember when you were a kid and you’d draw pictures and write happy thoughts with chalk in your driveway and down the sidewalks of your  street? And the adults always smiled when they read the big, pastel-colored messages? This is just like that. Only we’re bigger now. And we don’t have to go in the house when the street lights go out.

The idea is as simple as it was in childhood: write happy messages, have fun doing it, spread some joy while you’re at it.

Then, share your lovely creation by posting it on the Chalk the Walks Facebook page and Tweet about it with #chalkthewalks. By the end of the day, we’ll have a fabulous collection of images from (hopefully) all over the U.S. (or even the world!) spreading joy, optimism and inspiration through the playful, magical power of sidewalk chalk.

Fun, yes?  Yes.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get some chalk!

Need some ideas for messaging? Try some of these.

In late March of 2011 the Wall Street Journal released a study finding Portland, Oregon, to be the the 2nd most miserable city in the U.S.

The Joy Team founder and Chief Joy Officer, Michele M. Larsen, has found much evidence to the contrary. In fact, looking at photos taken in recent years for her blogs, ISpyJoy.com and LicensePlateWisdom.com as well as images of the joy-spreading work of The Joy Team, it seems the Portland-Vancouver metro area is overflowing with joy, love and wisdom.

This video is a just a sampling of images–all taken in the Portland / Vancouver metro area.

City of Roses, you are also the City of Joy, Love and Wisdom.

We're 1!

Although The Joy Team truly began with a mother and her daughter spreading messages of joy, optimism and inspiration across Portland and Vancouver in November of 2009; the official beginning of The Joy Team as a non-profit corporation in the state of Washington began on February 19, 2010. One year ago today.

With the mission of spreading joy, optimism and inspiration to millions, we’ve done a lot in our first year.  In 2010, along with our 29 members and with the generous support of Clear Channel Outdoor Portland, we put up 28 billboards, effectively putting 25.9 million seeds of joy out into the world. Founder Michele McKeag Larsen has spoken about joy to a group of Girl Scout trainers, the job club at the Easter Seals, a first grade class at Hough Elementary, and a book release party for yogini Dana Layon. We created free holiday greeting cards for people with their own virtual billboard of joy. And early this year we created a directory of organizations working for joy, kindness and love: the Joy, Kindness & Love directory.

THANK YOU for all you’ve done to help support and encourage The Joy Team in our first year with our mission of spreading joy, optimism and inspiration to millions.  We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you, thank you.

We look forward to our second year with great excitement and optimism. Plans are in the works for this year’s joy campaigns, and we believe you’ll see our messages of joy, optimism and inspiration in more places in 2011. Want to be part of it?

Off the Mat

The Joy Team was honored to be part of Dana Layon’s release party for her second book in a series of seven called Off the Mat: Confessions of a Yogi.

The Joy Team founder Michele Larsen (that’s me!) got to speak for a few minutes about the work we’re doing spreading joy through the amazing power of positive messaging–and billboards. Then I had the privilege of introducing Dana as the amazing, beautiful spirit that she is.

About the books (from Dana’s website):

This series of seven books, embody the growth and transformation that happens through self-inquiry. Each volume encapsulates 30 Weekly Oms from Dana’s online newsletter that can trigger, awaken and shift your life as you know it to be right now.

The title says yogini, but the book is full of guidance on how to connect with others, recognize Self and parent from a nurturing, conscious space.  The books are founded on the principles of yoga, however in a broader view, it’s focused on universal principles of compassion, patience, openness, love and truth, to which all people can relate.

The release parties will continue to be held at Lucy Activewear.  Remaining dates are March 10, April 14, May 12, June 9 and July 7. Mark your calendars for an evening of connection and inspiration.