Cue the giving spirit: Joely Mauck (’90) in the lead role
JMU Headlines
SUMMARY: Board of Visitors member Joely Mauck (’90) has a mission, and it’s simple: share the joy, spread the love, and hold the door open wide enough for everyone.
Joely Mauck steps into the holiday season the way some people step onto a stage—bringing warmth and energy that fills the whole room. And once the curtain rises, her favorite annual tradition begins.
Every December—usually sometime between Dec. 20 and 24—Joely, her 92-year-old father, her brother, and whichever children, nieces, or nephews are home for the season pile into cars and set off across Loudoun County on a mission. Their props are simple: wrapped fuzzy socks, Christmas cards, a $20 bill tucked inside each one, and an invitation to Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Mass. At the heart of it all: the spirit of giving.
Joely starts planning and decorating her home in October so she has the time to do the same for others who are feeling down, overwhelmed by the holidays or just need a surprise. “If Joely brings a family a meal,” Sarah says, “there’s a good chance she also helped decorate their tree.”
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"Love is in all of us; sometimes we just need a way to express it." Joely Mauck (’90) |
They pop into drive-throughs. They track down delivery drivers. They chase down utility trucks. They end the day at Walmart, where store managers now recognize them, and quietly pay for families’ toys or groceries. The reactions range from teary gratitude to total astonishment. Even the rare grump becomes part of the family lore.
“It feeds my soul,” Joely says. “Acts of kindness are contagious. You just have to light the spark.”
Kindness may be the hallmark of this tradition, but it’s hardly confined to December. As her daughter-in-law Sarah Bernet Mauck (’17) explains, Joely is “one of the busiest and most generous people I know.”
In December, Mauck cheer is on the move—gift baskets for Loudoun County families and a special thank-you for the unsung heroes: delivery drivers bringing holiday joy to every doorstep. As Joely says, “A simple gesture can turn a stranger into part of your story.”
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"There’s something magical about JMU that keeps drawing her back. … She truly embodies JMU’s core value of ‘holding the door open’ for the next person." Sarah Bernet Mauck (’17) |
In addition to herwork as a senior financial advisor, Joely has fostered more than 60 dogs, distributed Narcan for the Virginia Council for Women, made meals for families in crisis, and regularly finds ways to bring a little more beauty into someone’s home—or even their front porch.
And then there’s the other home she pours into: JMU.
Joely and her husband, Trey (’88), are longtime supporters of the College of Business, athletics and student wellbeing. Three of their four children are alumni, and their first grandchild is named—of course—Madison. To Joely, the university isn’t just her alma mater; it’s an extension of her family.
“Joely—and honestly the whole family—bleeds purple and gold,” says daughter-in-law, Sarah Bernet Mauck (’17).
She serves on the JMU Board of Visitors with the same warmth and enthusiasm she brings to holiday decorating (in October—“because the season is so magical”) or surprising young adults by secretly transforming a bare Arlington rental into a fully decorated holiday home. She believes in pacing herself early—finishing her own checklist so she has time for the extras: tending her mother’s gravesite with handmade arrangements, stopping by to help a neighbor, saying yes when the university calls.Where does she find the energy? Showker Hall. “When I walk through Hartman and Showker, the students are so energetic, so engaged. They want to connect,” she says. “They remind you that kindness is still everywhere.”
“Being involved at JMU has enriched my life so much,” she says. “When I drive to campus, it feels like coming home. The energy from students—it’s magic.”
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"Going to JMU is like coming home to friends you haven’t met yet." Joely Mauck (’90) |
Joely imagines a December where the whole Madison community leans into that spirit—holiday magic expressed through acts of generosity that welcome every faith and tradition. Because if Joely Mauck has a mission, it’s simple: share the joy, spread the love, and hold the door open wide enough for everyone.
Joely with granddaughter Madison
By Jamie Marsh
Photos by Steve Aderton (’19) and courtesy of the Mauck family
Video courtesy of Clare Kolasch, Joely’s niece
