Our Story
Seth Truitt is a bright, joyful young man who loves life. He was blessed with the gift of having Down syndrome, and he shares his joy with everyone he knows.
​Ever since he was little, Seth asked a lot of questions. When can he drive, get married, have a job, be a dad, own a home ... the list is endless sometimes. We haven't always known the answers and just taken one day at a time.
When he turned 18, Seth started asking about living on his own. We were hesitant for him to be away from us. For the next TEN years, he kept asking and asking. He really wanted his own place to watch sports, rock out to music, have friends over and get away from his younger sibling. He didn't even mind if he had to do his own dishes or laundry!
​Seth has a giant heart for others. He loves everyone and serves in the church and community. We knew he deserved a place of his own, so we asked our friends and family to help us and the news just spread in the community. We were so surprised when the local news stations picked up the story. With the assistance of many friends and family and people all over the country supporting us, we built Seth his very own Joy House, a home right behind ours on our five-acre property. It’s called the Joy House because Seth literally is Joy.
Seth moved into his home on April of 2020 and it was a joyous day for all of us! He loves living on his own. He has become more independent, and it's created new opportunities for him to learn new skills, including budgeting and housekeeping. It has also spurred his desire for financial independence so he can pay his own bills. Since he loves to draw and encourage people, he started making his own greeting cards and selling them at local stores.
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Other people with special needs asked us how we started selling Seth's art and it birthed the idea of the Joy House in Estes Park. A store made up of gifts that are all made by friends with special needs or disabilities and the response has been nothing short of amazing. We are honored, humbled and blessed to share in the joy with everyone!
Behind the Handprints
At Joy House, we promote individual identity and purpose through the symbol of one's unique handprint. The gold handprint in our logo is Seth's handprint (as well as his handwriting in much of our branding).
Each color of our additional handprints corresponds to a characteristic that we strive to "Choose" everyday. Sometimes it can be difficult to have a positive and optimistic attitude against life's challenges, but despite the difficulties we want to encourage and bless our friends, artists, and community that you are called to a purpose, your life matters, and here at Joy House, we will love and support you on your journey!
We hope that you are filled with Love, Compassion, Kindness, Peace, Happiness, Hope, Friendship, and JOY through the Joy House Community.