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Joni and Friends Knoxville is honored to serve East Tennessee, Kentucky, and the country of Guatemala.
Directions
410 S Northshore Drive
Knoxville, TN 37919
Contact Us
(865) 540-3860
[email protected]
Upcoming Events
Leadership

Lauren Richardson
Area Director
Lauren is a Knoxville native and loves the people and communities of East Tennessee. She has a B.S. in Special Education and has served in many roles within the community, including various ministries and churches. She is enthusiastic about connecting people by nurturing relationships, serving with teams to address practical needs, and encouraging friendship and community. She has a strong desire to help East Tennessee become a more welcoming, inclusive place for people living with disability.
Do You Need Support?
Local Resources and Information
Joni and Friends volunteers make 98% of our ministry programming happen! Join us to bring hands-on help and Gospel hope to people with disabilities, at home and across the globe.
Prayer and Praise
We invite you to join us in prayer for our ministry activities and outreaches.
How can we pray for you?
Autism Breakthrough – Provides Respite & recreation, community services, community living, community employment, project search, recreation therapy, BEST, independent living, support groups
Autism Society of East Tennessee – Offers resource database, conferences, social events, sensory training
Blount County Luke 14 Ministries – Creates opportunities for life changing encounters with Jesus by celebrating and serving people living with disability and their families
Catalyst Sports – Offers adaptive rock climbing, mountain biking, and kayaking.
Cerebral Palsy Center – Dedicated to helping adults with disabilities have a life worth living through community involvement, job placement and residential services.
disABILITY Resource Center – Offers employment services, housing assistance, peer support, youth in transition, information and referral, independent living skills, advocacy, transition from nursing homes into the community.
Disability Rights TN – Provides legal advocacy services to people with disabilities across the state with numerous issues, including employment discrimination, safety in schools, abuse and neglect, and access to community resources and services.
Down Syndrome Awareness Group of East Tennessee – Provides Down comfort gift program, DADS support, Littles & Lattes play group, events.
Emory Valley Center – Provides family support (financial support), Workforce development, Early learning success, behavioral health, community supported living
Evergreen Life Services– Provides employment, children & adolescent services, home & community based choices, community living support
Friends of Tennessee’s Babies with Special Needs – Provides respite care, adaptive equipment, Loaner hearing aids, assistive technology, family education, emergency support, family learning days, hospital collaboration, workshops, lending libraries, information networks
Hope and Thrive Academy – Provides post-secondary educational opportunities to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Knox County Child Find– Evaluates children between the ages of 3 and 5 to determine eligibility and the need for special education services. Educational needs are determined through parent interview, observation, and child evaluation.
Koinonia Foundation – Provides c- amp, activities for 18+, We Adapt Events
League of Angels – Transforming the lives of people with special needs through the joy of playing baseball.
Luke 14 Ministries of Morristown – Helps Families and individuals affected by disability find community and connection to Jesus through His church.
Our Place Art – Mission is to enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities through the arts.
Riverside Coffee Shop ABA Next Steps – Two- year program is designed for learners who wish to build job skills, specifically in a coffee shop setting
Sertoma Center – Provides respite, residential living, recreation, life enrichment, supported employment
Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding – The mission is to foster personal achievement by providing therapeutic experiences using horse related activities for persons with disabilities or other special challenges.
Smoky Mountain Autism Success Hub – Serves the autistic community in the Smoky Mountain area with events that benefit the entire family.
Smoky Mountain Legacy Partners – A legacy-focused special needs estate planning & elder law firm
Spark Adaptive Technology – Provides assistive technology, medical equipment loan, community programs, connect people with disabilities to the adaptive technology tools and services they need to live with maximum independence and dignity.
Special Growers – Provides a safe and inclusive work environment for our disabled staff to learn job skills, gain confidence, and prepare for their future careers.
Sunshine Services (The Arc of Knox County) – Provides early intervention, leisure services, residential, Sunshine Industries, supported employment
Tennessee Disability Pathfinder – Helps people with disabilities, their family members, educators, and other professionals find and access resources, support, and services available to meet their needs.
The Arc Tennessee – Promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.
The GATE – Program for enhancing social skills and pre-vocational skills in a caring community. The participants may be playing games, working on crafts, participating in Special Olympics practice, listening to and making music, going bowling or just talking with friends.
The Teach Group – Provides behavior services, Speech Language services, Occupational therapy, psychological services, PLAY- readiness class
TN Center for Decision-Making Support – Provides easy to understand, accurate information about all decision-making support options for people with disabilities, in one place.
TNStep – Empowers parents through information, training, and support to become effective partners with professionals in planning appropriate educational programs for their children.
TVAMP (Richard Gardner ) – Chartered Special Needs Consultant
Variety – Hosts special events for children and their families, provide funding and mobility equipment for special needs children whose families have nowhere else to turn, and assist other community charities serving children in need.
Volunteer Assisted Transportation – Provides rides for seniors and persons with disabilities who need assistance to travel safely
We Rock the Spectrum Knoxville – Provides a place for children of all ability levels to play and grow together. Our kid’s gym offers an inclusive philosophy and offers uniquely designed sensory equipment that is specifically designed to aid children with sensory processing disorders.
Young Life Capernaum Knoxville – Introduces teenagers of ALL abilities to Jesus and help them grow in their faith!
We equip our interns to become leaders and advocates for people living with disabilities around the world.
Your tax-deductible donation of mobility equipment provides an opportunity for someone to attend school, church, and become part of their community.
Contact us about donating a wheelchair to Joni and Friends Missouri!
Get creative with your own fundraising event!
Find your calling through a career at Joni and Friends!
You can help us create a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ…
Local News and Ministry Stories
March 14, 2025
Ellie’s heart races as the first van pulls up to Family Retreat. It’s Ellie’s first time volunteering with Joni and Friends and she’s been paired...
March 11, 2025
You’re in the sanctuary as the service begins. There’s a family beside you that you might not even notice, but look closer… Sitting between his parents...
October 5, 2024
Nearly two decades ago, Shirley was faced with one of the biggest choices of her life. Her granddaughter, Roseanne, needed a primary caregiver...
October 18, 2023
Every donated wheelchair Joni and Friends receives comes with a story—many with a story of loss. But when a wheelchair is given, its original owner’s story...
August 14, 2023
At twenty-five years old, Maribeth had big plans for her life: graduate from nursing school, work off school debt, have a healthy baby, and enjoy a “normal...
March 15, 2023
Our Joni and Friends Nashville team first saw Matthew as he played piano as an opener for a school play. The effects of Matthew’s autism make verbal...