Joy Reyes is the founder and visionary behind New Hope Girls, the nonprofit organization and justice enterprise dedicated to empowering young women and girls and ending the cycle of exploitation in the Dominican Republic.
With a heart to serve, Joy and her family moved to the Dominican Republic back in 2004 in an act of faith—not yet knowing what God had in store. After being confronted by the harsh realities faced by girls, Joy felt a profound call from God to take action. Since then, she has worked to establish safe homes, education programs, trauma-informed support, and economic opportunities to empower women and girls. Leading with a holistic approach, Joy supports prevention efforts, survivors' healing and reintegration, and equipping women with dignified employment. Today, New Hope Girls’ justice enterprise partners with companies, including Vera Bradley and Pura Vida, to employ 15 women to create handcrafted bags and accessories.
With a background in education, psychology, leadership, and trauma- informed care, Joy is a recognized leader in creating therapeutic spaces and implementing trauma - informed practices for survivors of exploitation and violence.
Given the wealth of insights from her experiences, she often collaborates with and speaks at universities, including Liberty and Belmont, helping equip the next generation of social workers going into trauma- informed care fields.
As an engaging storyteller and speaker, Joy shares the challenges and miracles she has witnessed in the trenches. Her messages inspire audiences to trust God's call on their lives, learn to hear His voice, and take brave first steps towards the "more" they were created for, even when the way is not yet visible. Joy’s heart is to connect with audiences passionate about pioneering initiatives of hope and justice while equipping and encouraging them to take the next brave step forward. She hopes to be remembered as someone who did whatever she could to fight for justice.
When she’s not working, Joy loves spending time with her family and any adventure that allows her to enjoy God's creation, especially the ocean. She and her husband, Vidal, have four children and live in country, the Dominican Republic, New Hope Girls was founded.
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