Week #221 – Happyness: It’s in the Mail!  (3,000 Smiles and STILL Counting…with Renee Eisman)

Greetings Happyness Tribe!

Always pleased to re-visit a Happyness in Action story — and this week I’m especially excited to follow-up on Renee Eisman’s 2018 goal of sending 2,700 cards to seniors this year alone.

Here’s a hint: She didn’t meet it…SHE BLEW PAST IT!!! 

During 2016’s Ten Weeks to Happyness, I shined a spotlight on Hopatcong, NJ native Renee Eisman — who is the Mail Program Manager for Bring Smiles to Seniors.  “Bring Smiles” is a non-profit in Odessa, FL that works with schools and organizations to decorate cards for seniors that are in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and homebound.

Their motto is “One card, one smile at a time.”

In 2017 they sent over 18,810 cards.  Renee was responsible for more than 2,435 of those!!!  That’s almost 40 cards a week!

This year, despite concern in January about being able to meet demand for their goal of 20,000 cards in 2018, Bring Smiles has sent OVER 35,000 cards to-date in over 200 senior communities across all 50 states!

Let me repeat that:
– OVER 35,000 cards sent
– to OVER 200 senior communities
– ACROSS all 50 STATES!!!

That’s a lot of smiles!!!

This week I followed up with Renee to get an update on her story and found out that she sent her 3,000th card for 2018…THAT VERY SAME DAY!

(That’s more than 5,000 cards since she got started.)

Here’s an update on her story:

Renee’s story began about five years ago now — when she first moved to Florida.  “I fell and hit my head two months after relocating.”  Renee suffered a subdural hematoma (bleeding of the brain).  Surgery and recovery followed.  “I never really had the chance to look for work.”

So Renee started mailing cards and letters to friends and family — to pass the time.

It wasn’t too soon after that Renee crossed paths with Ron Tyson (founder of Bring Smiles to Seniors) and joined the Bring Smiles team, working up to sending 150/200 cards per month in 2017…and up to 250 cards per month in 2018 to not only meet but exceed her goal for this year!

[Visit my original post here to learn the full story about how Renee got started!]

But Renee’s mailbox isn’t just a one-way street!  We chatted via Messenger about what 2018 has brought TO her:

“I took on two elderly pen pals this year. One in his own home in Rhode Island (he is 86) and a 70-year-old woman in nursing facility in Florida. My biggest challenge this year has been trying to keep up with reply mail while still sending from my regular list!”

Bring Smiles was also nominated for Ellen & Cheerios’ “One Million Acts of Good” Campaign!
https://www.ellentube.com/cheerios/community/making-seniors-smile.html  (“Vote often,” says Renee!)

And the biggest highlight of 2018 may have been going to Florida to meet the other Bring Smiles volunteers and be there with its founder, Ron Tyson, who received the Tampa
Bay Lightning Community Hero Award.

“All of us volunteers had never met and it was first time we were all together with Ron. Hopefully, it won’t be the last time.”

Renee just went back to working full-time in November…but she isn’t going to let that stop her!  “I’m hoping to reach out to local schools this year, to get help filling out and decorating cards to keep up with my mailings.”

Bring Smiles operates 100% on donations for all expenses and supplies so if you are interested in donating cards, postage, or supplies — or decorating and sending cards by yourself or with your group/organization — here’s everything you need to know:

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: BRING SMILES TO SENIORS!  Visit “Bring Smiles to Seniors” on the Web or on Facebook to find out how you can send supplies or support their mission to send “Happy Mail” to seniors, shut-ins, or children in need.  Look for the pinned post entitled “HOW TO PARTICIPATE” — or reach out to Renee at the contact info below.  Above all, set your own goal of sending “HAPPY MAIL” in 2019 — and send smiles, “one card at a time!”

It’s been five years since the accident that started Renee on this journey.  I asked her what Happyness means to her THIS year:

“I’m grateful everyday to be alive and living life to the fullest!”

Spread Happyness — send a smile!  BRING SMILES TO SENIORS!

(And if you or someone you know is hosting their own local charity event or fundraiser that Spreads Happyness directly to those who need it — please let me know!  I’d love to feature them on the blog!)

12/7/18 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

(PS: Special thanks once again to Renee Eisman for taking the time to share her story for my original post and update me this week!  To learn more about Bring Smiles to Seniors, visit them on the web at www.bringsmilestoseniors.com — or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bringsmilestoseniors — or contact Renee directly at bringsmiles@outlook.com.)