Joy Stemen is winner of the Icon's George/Georgiana Bailey Award. Had she not existed, Bluffton wouldn't be the same. As the winner, Joy will select $100 worth of books in her name to be purchased by the Icon for the Bluffton Public Library.

Meet Bluffton’s Georgiana Bailey, a.k.a. Joy Stemen.

If she never existed, well, Bluffton would not be same without her impact.

Many people know the 2001 Bluffton High School graduate as a licensed massage therapist (LMT).

MORE PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF STORY -

Many other people know her as the person who created Bluffton Clean-Up – check it out on Facebook.

Many, many, other people know her as the person who rescues stray cats, and sometimes dogs.

Here’s Joy’s story:

Let’s start with Bluffton Clean Up
“After the 2008 flood I organized a clean-up of a portion of Riley Creek,” she said, looking back at the start of her clean up efforts.

That expanded into her volunteer clean up of the Bentley Road – I-75 overpass. Next came the State Route 103 – I -75 overpass clean up.

As a total volunteer project, she started inviting others to assist in various trash clean ups around Bluffton.

These efforts have involved over a dozen one-day trash pick-ups across the village, mostly along Riley Creek.

In fact, on this past Sunday, she led a group of friends in a clean up in the woods area of the creek behind Community Market.

“We picked up two full bags trash,” she said. The good news, according to Joy is this: “The last time we cleaned up this area we collected 10 bags of trash.”

So, her efforts are taking hold.

Using the philosophy “If you want something done, do it yourself,” Joy says that it makes her happy to see the creek areas cleaner. “It looks better, it makes me happy and it cleans up a waterway.”

One of her largest-led clean up efforts involved assistance from the Bluffton Boy Scouts. “We cleaned up the creek in the Buckeye area. The scouts had a lot of fun doing it,” she said.

For more information about her clean up efforts and to offer to volunteer in one check out Joy’s Facebook “Bluffton Clean-Up.

Next – Helping and finding homes for stray cats
Over the past two years, Joy says she’s probably taken care of over 16 stray cats and some dogs.

“I may find a stray cat. First, I’ll try to locate its owner. If there is no owner, I take the cat to the vet and pay for it being spayed or neutered,” she said. “Then I try to find a home for the cat.”

Doing this totally on her own, she is in contact with various area animal rescue groups in addition to having developed her own local contacts.

“I feel that you should always be kind to an animal,” she said, adding “you can’t do this without other people helping you.”

Sometimes people send her money to assist in her own expenses with the cats.

She says that she’s not an actual cat rescuer.  “I don’t take cats that people don’t want.”

One cat she found followed her home. “Now it’s living happily in the country,” said Joy, after she found it a permanent home.

About her award
Joy was totally surprised about her nomination. The Icon received 12 nominations from viewers for this first-time presentation. Joy’s backyard neighbor Leslie Barnes nominated her.

Fred Steiner of the Icon and sponsor of this award said that every one of the persons nominated deserved the award. We decided to recognize a younger person whose impact on Bluffton is recent and well deserving.

“This just proved to me that there are many, many people who make Bluffton such a special place to live.”

As the winner, Joy will selected $100 worth of books in her name to be purchased by the Icon for the Bluffton Public Library.

Want to help Joy?
Viewers wanting to help Joy in either her clean-up efforts or by saving stray cats may contact her at 419-377-1298, at [email protected], or through the Bluffton Clean-Up Facebook.

PHOTOS:

• No planet...no party." One of Joy's tee-shirts connected to Bluffton Clean-Up
• Some of the volunteers if prevous clean-up efforts