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Joni’s Angels was developed out of concern for the families of children whose sudden illnesses leave them abandoning all else in their daily lives to concentrate solely on the well-being of their child. An assistance program providing a window of time to the families of children diagnosed with long-term serious illness is our mission.
Our motivation is recognizing the positive impact that this small frame of time provides the family. The opportunity to have a cup of coffee, spend time with their other children, nap, shower or simply take a brief walk are luxuries often far from the reality of their newly imposed agenda.
Following the devastating effects of a brain aneurysm that took her life in June 2005, Joan’s loving husband Steve, began cultivating the ideas they had discussed over the years to somehow implement a program that would help families in crisis. With this, Joni’s Angels came to be.
Joan was the only daughter of four children born to June and Maurice Donnelly in Long Beach, California on May 22, 1954. After high school graduation in 1972, Joan ventured off on a journey to explore the world. She traveled for a year to enrich her understanding of life beyond the borders of the small town she grew up in. Upon her return, it took her little time to decide that her next priority was her education. Joan received an accounting degree from Cal State University Long Beach, and later worked tirelessly to earn her Certificate of Public Accountancy. She went to work for one of the big 8 accounting firms in Orange County in 1980, where she eventually met and married her husband, Steve. In 1992, their only child, a son, was born, and motherhood became her top priority. Joan developed a love for running and was a highly decorated marathon racer, having run in 25 marathons! After taking a look at the world around her and realizing her good fortunes, she contemplated a way in which to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. It became Joan’s ambition to develop a program involving reading with children who were confined to treatment in a hospital environment. Upon her untimely passing, a program was developed in Joan’s memory.
Our motivation is recognizing the positive impact that this small frame of time provides the family. The opportunity to have a cup of coffee, spend time with their other children, nap, shower or simply take a brief walk are luxuries often far from the reality of their newly imposed agenda.
Following the devastating effects of a brain aneurysm that took her life in June 2005, Joan’s loving husband Steve, began cultivating the ideas they had discussed over the years to somehow implement a program that would help families in crisis. With this, Joni’s Angels came to be.
Joan Donnelly Altfillisch
A Portrait In Memoriam
A Portrait In Memoriam
Joan was the only daughter of four children born to June and Maurice Donnelly in Long Beach, California on May 22, 1954. After high school graduation in 1972, Joan ventured off on a journey to explore the world. She traveled for a year to enrich her understanding of life beyond the borders of the small town she grew up in. Upon her return, it took her little time to decide that her next priority was her education. Joan received an accounting degree from Cal State University Long Beach, and later worked tirelessly to earn her Certificate of Public Accountancy. She went to work for one of the big 8 accounting firms in Orange County in 1980, where she eventually met and married her husband, Steve. In 1992, their only child, a son, was born, and motherhood became her top priority. Joan developed a love for running and was a highly decorated marathon racer, having run in 25 marathons! After taking a look at the world around her and realizing her good fortunes, she contemplated a way in which to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. It became Joan’s ambition to develop a program involving reading with children who were confined to treatment in a hospital environment. Upon her untimely passing, a program was developed in Joan’s memory.
