Burlington Woman Loves to Spread Kindness Wherever She Goes
HELPIS founder Joyce Deliyiannis has found her life's mission: spread kindness in MA and around the world. And she's here to spread the word.
On a given day, you can find Joyce Deliyiannis at clinics in Boston providing free haircuts for people in need. In fact, she’s given over 6,000 of them! Deliyiannis, a Burlington-based hairstylist who was born and raised in Greece, loves giving haircuts to those who need them. “I really enjoy it because I have the opportunity to meet people from all parts of life and hear their stories,” she said. But her haircuts are not the only way she has found to spread kindness and goodwill.
In 2009, Deliyiannis founded HELPIS Help Me Help Someone Inc, a nonprofit social network connecting those in need with those that can help.
Since HELPIS’ founding, the organization has helped thousands of people in need. Last year alone, they helped over 4,300 individuals in the greater Boston area.
“HELPIS can take a concrete problem and solve it immediately, which is something that is hard to find,” said Kate Mun, the treasurer of the board at HELPIS. Mun, a Burlington resident who works as a social worker with foster children, first met Deliyiannis was when she was seeking clothes for some children. “It is never that easy to get help for these kids,” said Mun. “Everything takes time, paperwork, and a lot of documentation, but [Joyce] met me three days later with bags full of everything these kids needed.”
HELPIS gets requests from all kinds of people, including teachers, lawyers, social workers, and doctors. And everything they provide to those in need, whether monetary, goods, or services, comes from donations from people in the community. HELPIS also provides food, clothing, computers for students, and gift cards for necessities.
Another special feature about HELPIS is every person that donates knows exactly where their donation goes. The team provides photos and posts on social media when requests are fulfilled. “I want the people who help us to see the impact thanks to them,” said Deliyiannis.
While many have received help through the program, some have later paid it back as donors. Returning to spread kindness is another pillar of the HELPIS model.
Deliyiannis spreads positivity and kindness in other ways as well. Thanks to her efforts, the month of May became the Month of Kindness in Massachusetts. The law was passed in April 2016 after five years of efforts from Deliyiannis, HELPIS, and members of the Burlington community. And following her success with the Month of Kindness, Deliyiannis did not stop. She is now pushing for the law to become national, and she is also looking to add a kindness curriculum in the state. “We want to empower kids to understand they can make a difference today and to know what steps they need to take to do that,” said Mun.
“We have a really wonderful group of dedicated individuals, and we are all really inspired by Joyce. She’s the spark, and she helps to keep the fire burning all the time,” said Emily Trask, the vice president of the HELPIS board. Trask has helped spread kindness with HELPIS since 2010, and she runs many of the communications for the organization, including email, newsletters, and the website.
While it seems like a tall task, Deliyiannis is determined to accomplish everything she sets out to do, and those around her believe that she has the power to make it happen.
“She’s a great example of how just one person with a small group of volunteers can make real change,” said Trask. “Anybody can make change, even in a small way.”
Nathaniel Ford is a journalism student at Endicott College.
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