About Jo Ellen's
The History of Jo Ellen's
Jo Ellen's Safe Haven was formed through its namesake.
Jo was an amazing human. Long before there was a spotlight on the epidemics of homelessness, mental health, and substance abuse disorder, she saw and felt the need to help; she devoted her life to combating these debilitating ills.
She raised her three children to do the same by modeling for them respect, empathy, heart, and soul.
When Jo became homeless with her children, she kept her faith and hoped. She dug in and still reached out her hand to help the ones she could only asking “…do the same." No one should be left behind. She felt that everyone deserves a safe place to lay his or her head.
Jo opened her home, her heart, and her mind to help others the entirety of her life. You could say that we, her children, were raised “…for such a time as this.” She reminded us often that we have all had our struggles; it's what makes us who we are. It’s our “lived” experience.
She showed us that sound judgment and unwavering faith can carry you through a plethora of challenges until eventually and surely, you can see your own hope and faith blossom. That matured hope and faith enable you to extend your hand to help the next person, then grab on and help the next person, and so on.
Come as you are. Keep faith and know "everything is possible.” Just breathe; we’ve got you.
Ron's Story
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I remember my mom always helping people.
At age seven I remember going to work with mom helping the mentally ill. Every holiday we went to the convalescent home to celebrate and bring treats for everyone. We moved to California, my mom got a job working for a handicap school. She taught herself sign language so she could help the hearing impaired (and yes we all got sign language lessons from our mother). We moved again to Washington where she opened a home For the mentally ill. She has helped everyone she could our whole lives, Passing on the torch. So in a way I feel we are carrying on my mom's spirit by helping those who are struggling and who need help.
Stacci's Story
When I was really young, I struggled with making friends, I had none. So, I settled for making teachers my friend. That said, I was jealous of my mom who made friends with everyone she met. In second grade I won Student of the Year... a big deal for me. On ceremony day my mom showed up dressed from head to toe as a Martian; she even died her skin green. I was so embarrassed and mad at her for about a week.
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After a week she asked me how making friends was going. Right then-and-there I realized my mom was the greatest and she had done all that to make it easier for me to make friends. My mom would give up her pride, and did, just to help someone else and she did these kinds of things all of the time. She was amazing.
Jo Ellen
Iris's Story
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I am Jo Ellen's younger sister (even though she told her kids that I was older than she)
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My sister Jo Ellen was a prankster.
I remember the first time I brought my brand new fiancé Blaine home to meet the family. He had met my parents before, but never my siblings and extended family members. He was an intellectual introvert. And Jo (being a pretty smart extrovert) knew she had to "baptize" him into the family. There were aunts and uncles and lots of cousins there on that hot, Salt Lake City summer day in our parents' backyard.
When Blaine and I entered the house, she introduced herself to Blaine formally and explained that that day was her birthday. (If Blaine had had a chance to know her better, he'd have been immediately suspicious that she was acting so formal.) But he shook her hand and gave her a gentlemanly hug when she excused herself saying she had to check on her kids in the backyard.
So... we eventually made our way out to the backyard along with everyone else (it is important to know that Blaine, whom I eventually married, was wearing a dress shirt and tie as well as nice slacks that day). When we began to make our way to the lawn, a flash appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Blaine was the recipient of a full bucket of ice-cold water over the head by Jo.
I'll probably never forget the shocked look on his face. His glasses were askew, his neatly combed hair was dripping, and his clothes were drenched and clinging from his body. I was furious with my sister and asked Blaine if he wanted to leave. He said no.
Fast forward one hour. We were all eating homemade ice cream. after having sung "Happy Birthday" to Jo. Everyone was laughing and enjoying each other. I didn't notice that Blaine was missing. What he was up to was this: He filled the same bucket that Jo had thrown on him, but with the salted ice from the ice cream maker. He casually walked up behind her and dropped the entire bucket down the back of her shirt.
I didn't know he had it in him! All I can remember after that was that Jo walked over to him and said, "Well-played. I finally have a worthy adversary!" From then on, they were thick as thieves, and he felt like an equal in our crazy family.
