Our Story
A life that opened doors for others.
The Juanita Boyce Foundation for Cognitive Disabilities was founded in honor of a mother whose strength, warmth, and love shaped the people around her.
Juanita Boyce
Her name is the foundation of this work.
Juanita Boyce was a mother — and, to the people who loved her, much more than that. She carried a family through ordinary days with steadiness, humor, and a kind of strength that did not need to be announced.
Her son, James Boyce, founded this organization in her memory. The Foundation’s work begins from a simple conviction she embodied: every person deserves to be seen, valued, and supported, and no one should have to find their way alone.
That conviction matters most when a family is looking for help. Cognitive disabilities are part of ordinary life, yet the systems built to support people are rarely ordinary to navigate. Information is scattered. Language is clinical. Waiting is common.
The Foundation exists to make that path clearer — through navigation, accessible learning, honest advocacy, and targeted assistance that removes practical barriers.
Her family
The family this work stands for.
Juanita’s life was built around the people closest to her — her son James, her granddaughters, her cousins, and her aunt. These photographs are shared by her family.
Juanita Boyce and her son, James
Boyce family photograph
Juanita Boyce and her first cousin
Boyce family photograph
Juanita Boyce with her son and granddaughters
Boyce family photograph
Graduation day with her son and her aunt
James Boyce’s graduation
Juanita and James at home
Boyce family photograph
Mission and vision
Mission
To honor the life and legacy of Juanita Boyce by raising awareness of cognitive disabilities, advocating for improved services and inclusion, and connecting individuals and families to education, practical resources, community support, and targeted financial assistance that advance hope, dignity, opportunity, and fuller participation in community life.
Vision
A society where individuals with cognitive disabilities have equitable access to the resources, opportunities, relationships, and support needed to live fulfilling, increasingly independent, and included lives.
Core values
Six commitments that guide the work.
Dignity
Every person is treated as the author of their own life, with choices respected and voice centered.
Access
Clear information and practical pathways should not depend on who you know or how much time you have.
Family partnership
Families and caregivers are partners in this work, not recipients of it.
Inclusion
Belonging is built in ordinary places — neighborhoods, workplaces, congregations, and schools.
Stewardship
Time, trust, and resources are handled carefully, transparently, and only for the mission.
Collaboration
The Foundation works alongside existing organizations rather than duplicating what already serves families well.
Founder
James Boyce
Founder
James Boyce founded the Foundation to carry his mother’s name into work that meets families where they actually are. His aim is not to build a large institution quickly, but to build a trustworthy one — starting with listening.
Programs are shaped with individuals, families, and caregivers from the start, so that what the Foundation offers is genuinely useful rather than merely well-intentioned.
Designed with individuals and families, with their voices helping shape the work.
The Juanita Boyce Foundation for Cognitive Disabilities is an independent organization. It does not provide residential care, youth-home services, or clinical treatment, and it is distinct from other ventures associated with its founder.
Help shape the work ahead.
If this story is familiar to you, we would like to hear from you. Families and self-advocates help guide every initiative the Foundation takes on.