Our Work with The Jana Marie Foundation

The Jana Marie Foundation has been a long-term partner with DGWW.  We have worked together on projects since 2019.  Summaries and photos of our work on Kazoo Building Events, "Tranquility Stations," and a mounting system for donated "Djembe drums" can be found in the photo galleries below. 

To learn more about the Jana Marie Foundation, CLICK HERE.

 imagine a “Little Library” but with resources related to wellness and mental health designed to serve students of elementary school age. The installation took place in the morning on November 13, 2025.  

The Jana Marie Foundation moved to a new location and Marissa Vicere reached out to DGWW to see if we would be interested and able to help by making a shelf for them. They had received a donation of 10 djembe drums that they were hoping to house in their main area, and wanted something that would look a little nicer than what they would be able to do on their own. We brainstormed with them and visited the space and decided that the optimal solution (both functional and beautiful) would be to create ten separate brackets that would be used to mount them to the walls. On July 9th we installed the finished project, and all are quite happy with the results!

Following the success of our first “Tranquility Station” build for the Jana Marie Foundation, we got a call form Joe Johnson, the project’s leader at JMF. Two of their partner organizations had expressed interest in hosting a similar project at their locations. We gave Joe a copy of a book about how to build these boxes that included 12 designs and plans and suggested that they look at options with their partners and get back to us.  Joe came back with two more requests to build boxes, based on plans in the book.  One is now located at a church in Howard, PA and another has been installed outside the YMCA in Phillipsburg.

J.A.M. (Jana’s Art and Music) Fest is a community-wide mental wellness day designed to help increase well-being, build connections, and foster self-expression. Held annually during Mental Health Awareness Month by the Jana Marie Foundation, this event features live music, yoga, meditation, stations for creative expression, art exhibits, and more, in addition to local community mental health and service providers who are available to discuss their services.

The Jana Marie Foundation invites Doing Good with Wood to participate, introducing people to woodworking as a "healthy hobby" that builds self esteem and confidence.  In our area we provide all of the materials, tools, and advice participants need to make their own wooden kazoos, and we teach them how to play. (The great thing about a kazoo is that the minute you learn to play it, you can play any song you know!)

We have participated for several years now, as shown in the photo gallery below.