Core Values

Joy Squad is mission-driven and believes in:

• Making a difference through genuinely doing good for others.
• Searching for opportunities to encourage others to spread joy.
• Embracing shine to help others find theirs.
• Promoting a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome.
• Being present by connecting with transparency, dignity, and respect.
• Delivering the very best in all we do.
• Holding ourselves accountable for results.
• Acting with courage and kindness.

Founder’s Story

Joy Squad was conceived by Lee Collier amid the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. “I was in my living room folding laundry,” Lee recalls, “And I’m just seeing newsreel after newsreel about all the negative stuff with COVID. I’m seeing my friends on Facebook that are really depressed. I just knew that there was still good stuff going on, and we just had to figure out how to focus on that. If we could all focus on the good stuff, we could snap out of it.”

One of the first efforts was the now-annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Her vision was just having a few people show up to the Tallahassee Police Department and give them a couple of dozen donuts. But once she got started talking to people, those people started talking to other people, and businesses wanted to help. The result was more than just sweet treats. There was enough support for T-shirts, goody bags, and a food truck providing a hot breakfast.

That same year, the Joy Squad added another annual event – hosting Christmas caroling to local senior assisted living homes in Leon County with volunteers singing carols with the residents. “There is something so fulfilling about seeing someone smile knowing you had a little something to do with it,” Lee says. The Joy Squad is 100% volunteer-run and has supported local organizations including Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Second Harvest of the Big Bend Big Bend, the Leon County Animal Shelter, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Boys Town, Hunger Fight, and many more.

Lee also added, “The network of people in Tallahassee is one of the greatest ones I’ve ever experienced.”

Advisory Council

The Joy Squad Advisory Council is responsible for the overall planning and direction of the organization’s events. Their primary role is to be a “joy leader.”

“I don’t think I can stress enough that anything Joy Squad has accomplished would not be possible without the amazing people I’m blessed to know. The impact these wonderful people have on others is a pure joy that I’m lucky to witness,” proclaims Lee.

Joy Squad is organized exclusively for promoting a culture of joy within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, 1996, or the corresponding provision of any future federal law. Services focus on Leon County and the Big Bend area of Florida.