Make the season bright for greenville county students
Every winter, hundreds of local students wish for something simple — a warm jacket, new shoes, or a little holiday magic. Project Joy began in 2020 to make that possible, helping middle and high school students across Greenville County receive the essentials and small gifts that make the season brighter.
How It Works
Unlike many holiday programs that focus on younger children, Project Joy was designed with older students in mind. Through a close partnership with Greenville County Schools, students who could use extra support during the holidays are identified. From there, our community steps in — neighbors, companies, and volunteers — to help fulfill each student’s wish list and remind them they’re not forgotten.
CREATE ACCOUNT
Create an account on our volunteer platform, Hands On Connect, if you do not already have one.
SELECT STUDENT
Support one or more students with holiday essentials and kindness.
Shop Wishlist
Purchase items from their personalized wishlist. We recommend budgeting $75–$100 per child.
Drop Off
Drop off gifts at United Way of Greenville County by December 4, and we’ll deliver them to each school for families to pick up.
Select a Student
Give Financially
Project Joy FAQs
You can sponsor a student through our volunteer platform ‘Hands on Connect’ or make a financial gift to support the program. Both options help meet the real needs of local students during the holiday season.
Hands On Connect is United Way’s volunteer and program management platform. It allows you to sign up to sponsor a student, manage your sponsorship details, and access your student’s wish list and instructions securely.
Project Joy accepts families recommended via Greenville County Schools. If you believe a student could benefit, please connect with your school’s social worker or guidance counselor for more information.
Each student’s needs vary, but we recommend budgeting $75–$100 per student to provide clothing, personal care items, and small gifts.
We encourage including gift receipts when possible for items like clothing or shoes that may need to be exchanged.
This year, parents can choose whether gifts should be wrapped. Please check your student’s form for their preference. If wrapping is requested, wrap each gift individually (who doesn’t love opening more than one present?) and label all gifts clearly.
Gifts may be delivered to United Way of Greenville County, located at 105 Edinburgh Court, Greenville, SC 29607 by December 2.
Because this year’s program matches donors with individual students, you may be supporting more than one family. To ensure accurate delivery, please label each gift with the Student ID from your assignment (example: Student A42). You may use gift tags, stickers, or tape—anything clearly visible is fine.
Label each item separately to avoid mix-ups during distribution.
Example:
Student A42 – Item 1
Student A42 – Item 2
Once you log in to Hands On Connect, you’ll see a list of available students to sponsor. Each listing includes a unique ID number and a brief description of needs provided by a parent or guardian.
To get started:
Click “Claim” next to the student(s) you’d like to sponsor.
Your selections will appear at the bottom of the page.
When you’re finished, click Submit to confirm your sponsorship.
You’ll then receive a confirmation email with:
Program guidelines
Gift drop-off details
Instructions for viewing your student information in Hands On Connect
To ensure every student receives support, we ask that sponsors not unregister after November 15. If an unexpected situation arises, we encourage you to make a monetary donation to Project Joy so we can still meet the needs of the student. For questions or concerns, please reach out to kwinther@unitedwaygc.org.