501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization
In Loving Memory
Jada Simone Sampson
With peaceful hearts, we honor the life of Jada Simone Sampson—a radiant soul whose creativity, kindness, and compassion shaped everyone she encountered. Jada was a devoted volunteer and visionary at Great Joy Community Development Corporation, working alongside her mother, Founder and Executive Director, Dr. La'Tesha, to create spaces for healing, expression, and connection.
Donations to Great Joy CDC support programs that reflect Jada’s legacy: creative expression, compassionate care, and embodied healing. Her spirit continues to guide our mission—calling us to serve with joy, lead with heart, and live fully.
Donations can be made online via greatjoycdc.org or via PayPal at greatjoycdc@gmail.com.
Jada Simone's Legacy Series
Jada Simone Legacy Programs
The Jada Simone Legacy Series honors Jada’s creativity, compassion, and love for movement and animals. These programs uplift youth through healing, expression, and community connection.
1. Creative Writing Lab
A space for youth to process emotions through poetry and storytelling.
2. Stretching & Body Movement Series
Trauma-informed movement, breathwork, and rhythm.
3. Animal Care & Compassion Program
Hands-on learning with local shelters. Launching 2026.
Jada Simone Legacy Program
A compassionate initiative led by Great Joy Community Development Corporation in partnership with The Barnyard Sanctuary
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Jada Simone embodied love in action — compassion, creativity, and showing up for those who needed care and healing. Her legacy lives on through the Jada Simone Legacy Program, which uplifts youth and communities through healing-centered programs rooted in creative expression, emotional wellness, mindful movement, and compassion for all living beings.
In that same spirit, this fundraiser is dedicated to supporting 300 rescued animals at The Barnyard Sanctuary in Hope, New Jersey — a safe haven that has operated for over 15 years and rescued more than 3,500 animals.
This campaign is specifically raising funds to provide hay for an entire year — literally life-saving support that ensures animals are fed, warm, healthy, and cared for every single day. Giving in Jada’s name turns compassion into action and sustains lives that depend on this care to survive and thrive.
About the Partnership
The Barnyard Sanctuary provides daily care for more than 300 animals, placing safety, health, and well-being above all else. Located in Hope, New Jersey, the Sanctuary relies on generous donors and partner organizations to sustain its life-saving work.
This campaign supports a collaborative partnership with the Jada Simone Animal Care & Compassion Program — an initiative dedicated to fostering meaningful connections with animal shelters and sanctuaries while expanding advocacy, protection, and compassionate care for animals everywhere.
Jada Simone Legacy Project Merch - Leopold Jacobs 1983
Support the Jada Simone Legacy Project with the latest merch!
Shop NowDonate in Jada’s Name
Your gift provides life-saving nourishment for over 300 rescued animals and turns compassion into action.
Donate NowNew Jersey DCF School-Based High School Programs
Millville High School | Vineland High School | Thomas Wallace Middle School
Great Joy Community Development Corporation provides New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF)–funded school-based mental health services for students enrolled at Millville High School, Vineland High School and Thomas Wallace Middle School.
These programs support students’ emotional well-being, academic engagement, and overall resilience within the school environment. Services are delivered on-site during the school day and are accessible, confidential, and culturally responsive—reducing barriers to care and meeting students where they are.
Program Services Include
- Individual counseling and therapeutic support
- Group counseling focused on social-emotional learning, coping skills, and peer relationships
- Trauma-informed interventions addressing stress, grief, anxiety, and behavioral concerns
- Crisis support and early intervention
- Collaboration with school personnel and families to promote student success
All services are provided by licensed clinicians and supervised graduate-level interns, in alignment with New Jersey DCF standards and best practices in adolescent mental health care.
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ANCHOR: The Nest
ANCHOR provides the Access, Navigation, Care, Healing, Opportunity, and Resilience framework through The Nest, a safe, nurturing, school-based wellness environment designed to support students’ mental health, development, and protective factors.
ANCHOR: The Nest is a school-based wellness and support center designed to be a safe place where students can land, grow, and thrive through a trauma-informed, prevention-focused approach.
By connecting students and families to mental health support, skill-building, and coordinated services, The Nest strengthens protective factors, builds resilience, and promotes emotional well-being, academic engagement, and positive youth development. By meeting students where they are and surrounding them with consistent, caring support, ANCHOR: The Nest helps young people stabilize, develop healthy coping skills, and move forward with confidence.
Our Approach
We utilize a strengths-based, trauma-informed, and youth-centered approach that honors each student’s lived experience while fostering emotional regulation, self-awareness, and healthy decision-making.
Equity, dignity, and inclusion remain central to our work, recognizing the unique social and environmental factors that shape adolescent development.
Referral & Participation
Students may be referred through school administration, guidance counselors, teachers, or by self-referral with parental consent, in accordance with DCF and school district guidelines.
MillVille High School Personnel:
Access Millville ANCHOR Staff Site →Services are provided at no cost to families and are funded through the New Jersey Department of Children and Families.
Interested in Services?
Participation requires parent or guardian consent. Complete the consent form to get started.
Complete Consent FormF.A.B.R.I.C. Program
Fashion, Art, Branding, Resilience, Identity & Creativity
Facilitated in collaboration with fashion creative and entrepreneur Zakee (Zak) Gasby
F.A.B.R.I.C. is a creative youth development initiative designed to help young people explore identity, creativity, and resilience through the powerful lens of fashion and artistic expression. Participants learn how fashion intersects with culture and branding while developing critical life skills.
Fashion Design & Creative Expression
- Fashion design and sketching techniques
- Creative concept development and mood boards
- Color theory and style exploration
- Fashion as artistic storytelling
Personal Branding & Identity
- Personal style and identity exploration
- Creative branding and image development
- Visual storytelling through fashion
- Understanding how fashion communicates individuality
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
- Confidence building and self-image
- Healthy self-expression through creativity
- Resilience and positive identity development
- Fashion as empowerment
Program Impact
Through hands-on workshops and collaborative projects, students build communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
The program concludes with a Youth Showcase highlighting student learning and personal growth.
Creative Industry Exposure
Participants gain awareness of potential career pathways, including fashion design, creative entrepreneurship, and marketing.
Mindful Motion & Nutrition
Building Healthy Bodies and Calm Minds at Thomas Wallace Middle School
A Comprehensive Wellness-Based Youth Development Program
This initiative integrates structured movement, yoga, mindfulness, and nutrition education to equip middle school students with practical tools for physical health, emotional regulation, and overall well-being.
Body & Physical Wellness
- Guided warm-ups and stretching
- Age-appropriate movement
- Flexibility and strength focus
- Physical activity for focus
Yoga & Mindfulness
- Beginner-friendly yoga
- Guided breathing exercises
- Stress management strategies
- Trauma-informed meditation
Nutrition & Living
- Balanced nutrition education
- Impact on mood and focus
- Healthy food choice guidance
- Hydration and energy habits
Emotional Regulation & Social Growth
Beyond physical health, the program emphasizes social-emotional development. Students engage in self-reflection exercises, conflict resolution skill-building, and activities that promote empathy and respectful interactions.
The initiative addresses the developmental needs of middle school students as they navigate academic pressures and emotional growth by providing a safe, supportive, and engaging environment.
Skill Application
Students are supported in applying wellness practices both inside and outside the classroom, encouraging lifelong healthy habit formation.
Program Reflection
The program concludes with student feedback sessions and wellness demonstrations, allowing participants to reflect on their personal growth.