James Charles, another Joyland foreman, was the volunteer coordinator for i58. He went to Greece because he believes in loving his neighbor as himself and that anyone in need is his neighbor. There in the converted military prison that serves as home for three thousand people, he organized efforts to re-house the people for winter, dealing with emergencies as they arose. Handling trauma, fires, and injuries was never easy, but he found that working with people from all over the world and giving hope to people in the worst times of their life was incredibly rewarding.
James grins, now that he’s home, and says, “I don’t want people to say stuff was going down and I was sitting here doing nothing.”
He and the others who have worked in Greece appreciate that Joyland encourages doing good for others. That others-first mentality carries over to every part of life.
John Esh, Joyland’s President, got involved in the refugee crisis along with his family. Now he’s the chairman of i58. He thinks helping awakens something deep in us: an instinct to care about other humans. His team has helped people to shore only to find out their homes were bombed out a mere ten hours before, or that one of the women had delivered a baby while in the boat crossing the Mediterranean. Seeing things like that, John says, awakens your empathy for all people.
