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Leah Barcus founded the non-profit Joy Doll Hospital five years ago at the age of 12. Now 17, Barcus said she’s blessed to be able to spread joy.According to the organization:”Joy Doll Hospital is a charitable organization dedicated to restoring pre-loved dolls and bringing them to children experiencing crisis in their journey of life. By restoring dolls that have been discarded or left behind, the hospital provides these beloved toys to children who are facing challenging circumstances. With a focus on community support and resilience, Joy Doll Hospital strives to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children by offering them comfort and hope through the power of this beloved and restored toy.”Leah’s passion has garnered her national attention and the ability to restore dolls for people all across the country.This week, Leah and her small but mighty team packaged 70 pre-owned, fully refurbished and refined dolls that will now go to girls in western North Carolina who were impacted by Hurricane Helene. The dolls are normally redesigned for young girls who experience some form of crisis.”That crisis situation might be theyve gone into foster care and theyre away from families or could be that theyre in the hospital,” Joy Doll Hospital Board of Director’s Treasurer and Secretary Luke Frank said. “In this case, we have a large group of people who have been displaced from their homes in the Asheville, North Carolina area. It brings with it a story of restoration and of hope.Each doll comes with a detailed tag containing a message of the doll’s journey, a little bible, clothes and other accessories.”Just getting my doll and seeing how much joy and fun it brought me, I decided to start gathering dolls that needed to be fixed and fix them up and give them to kids who didnt have one, Barcus said. “To get it back to looking like new and playable again probably takes about six hours a doll. Its kind of like a doll workshop. Like, youre rebuilding the toy all over again. Just like God takes us and our sin and our brokenness and he restores us and brings us joy, that is the whole message around this ministry.The dolls are expected to be delivered this week. If you have any American Girl dolls that you’d like to get rid of, if you’d like to donate or if you would like more general information, click here.