About Us
Our Vision
DayBreak provides a safe place of social, physical, and intellectual stimulation for participants in a day program; family and community education; support; and worship.
Our Mission
DayBreak serves as a community of love and support for families coping with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Our Staff
Jill Pope
Executive Director
Jill grew up in Knoxville and attended the University of Tennessee graduating with a BA in Spanish, MA in Curriculum and Instruction also earning an EdS in Administration and Leadership from LMU. She retired after working at Maryville High School for 25 years and teaching for 32 years as a public educator.
Abigail Blankner
Assistant Director
Abigail moved to Maryville as a child after living in Florida, Alabama and Washington state. After college, Abigail worked in higher education in Maryville, Atlanta, Tacoma and Knoxville. Abigail returned to Maryville in 2019 to care for her parents. Abigail has a goldendoodle, Poppy, and a cat, DaVinci.
Our Volunteers
At DayBreak our volunteers are a committed group from throughout our community that come together to offer companionship and walk alongside the participants in our program. Volunteers are trained and have background checks in order to offer the safest environment possible. Many bring their own personal experience of dealing with dementia in their families as well as professional experience in a variety of fields that contribute to the program.
Daybreak Demential Care in the News
DayBreak was created through the efforts of First United Methodist Church in Maryville. In 2023, the pastors announced that a group would meet to consider what kinds of programs for seniors might be offered. The group determined that a respite program for families coping with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia was needed. From those initial meetings, planning began, and DayBreak was incorporated at the end of June 2024 as a nonprofit organization. DayBreak has close ties with the church but is a community-wide effort to help families in Blount County and the surrounding areas. We have a growing group of volunteers and families from all over Blount County that work together to provide a supportive community for those that use our program.
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