What We Do

Forty years ago, Happy Joe Whitty opened the doors to his first store, “Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream” in the Village of East Davenport. Fast forward to today, and Happy Joe’s has become a Midwest landmark, with over 50 stores in six states, and the story of Happy Joe Whitty has become a real-life tale of the American Dream in action.

In 1972, the year he first opened his doors to the public, Happy Joe made a vow that he would give back every year to the community that made his dream a reality. In December of 1972, Happy Joe hosted what would become the first of hundreds of Special Needs Parties for children in various communities. Last year, at just one of Happy Joe’s annual Holiday Parties, the iWireless Center in the Quad Cities welcomed almost a thousand children over the course of a two-day event.

• Feature Stories

  Meet some of the people we work with on a regular basis and learn about the great work they do to help kids across America:

  Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities
  The Children’s Therapy Center offers medical rehabilitation therapy services to children with developmental disabilities and developmental delays.

  Hand in Hand and the Girl Scouts of America
  Girls with special needs are able to participate in the Girl Scouts program with activities modified for each individual.