“We’re not just providing jobs. We’re offering dignity, stability and the belief that you matter. That you belong here.”
–Kristen Sydow, Co-founder, Designed for Joy
Discretionary Grant - Raleigh, NC (June 2025) -Alana was living in a car with her mom when she first walked through the doors at Designed for Joy, unhoused at just 20 years old. She had been referred through a local nonprofit to participate in Designed for Joy’s seven-day Day Work Program – a lifeline made possible, in part, by a grant from the Walters Family Foundation.
Thanks to that grant, Designed for Joy was able to cover wages and materials for 15 women like Alana, each of them facing crisis, each offered a chance to earn, rebuild and believe in their future. The Day Work Program gives women immediate access to income and support. They are earning from their first hour of work.
In the studio, Alana joined other women learning how to cut leather, stitch seams and piece together handcrafted handbags. Many of them had never worked with their hands before. But with patient, step-by-step guidance, they transformed raw materials into something finished, functional – and stunning. Something they could point to and say, “I made that.”
Since its founding in 2017, Designed for Joy has provided living-wage jobs to over 196 women. The organization runs two employment tracks: the Day Work Program, designed for short-term emergency relief, and the Primary Job Program, a three-month employment path focused on job readiness, skill-building and long-term stability. Women in the three-month program work 20 to 25 hours per week and leave with a resume, job reference and most importantly – hope.
With rolling enrollment, the organization focuses on immediate action and meaningful transformation. And it works: 90% of participants in the three-month program go on to secure permanent employment.
Alana thrived. After completing the seven-day program, she was invited into the three-month program. Designed for Joy helped her find an apartment. Then, when she expressed interest in construction, they didn’t try to steer her elsewhere, they helped her chase that dream, connecting her to Hope Renovations, a local apprenticeship program.
Months later, after she graduated the apprenticeship, a position opened up back at Designed for Joy. A full-time, permanent staff role. Kristen Sydow called her on a whim. Alana had finished her training just the day before. She came in to interview and was hired on the spot as a production coordinator.
“The day she returned,” Kristen said, “everyone out on the floor started cheering. They love her. We all do.”
But Designed for Joy’s impact isn’t just about one woman. It’s about the environment they’ve created – one rooted in encouragement, empowerment and deep care. Many women arrive with their heads down, uncertain. Some have never held a job. Some are nonverbal, afraid to make eye contact. But over time, they begin to lift their chins. They laugh. They sew. They lead.
Like Maria, who arrived unsure if she could ever work, and now manages a local coffee shop. Or the many women who now return each Tuesday during open hours, not just for support, but to stay part of the community that first welcomed them in.
“Everything we do is about belonging,” Kristen said. “When you come here, you’re not just getting paid. You’re getting the chance to remember your own worth. You’re getting love. You’re getting people who see you.”
Because sometimes all a person needs is for someone to say, “We’re expecting you.”
Names of participants were changed to protect their privacy.
Walters Family Foundation Discretionary Grants are by invitation only.