Week #287 – Help “Bring Smiles to Seniors“

Greetings Tribe!

Some weeks are happier than others. And this is a very difficult time for many of us. We are separated…from work, from school, from our places of worship, our families, our routines, our ability to travel, and from each other.

And one of the saddest cases of this is in nursing homes and other care facilities, where families are being told to refrain from visiting elderly relatives who are most at-risk for infection. (Source: CDC)

But one ray of light sprang to my mind: Renee Eisman, and the Bring Smiles to Seniors organization (founded by Jefferson, NJ native Ron Tyson).

I didn’t have time to interview Renee again for an update on her current activity…but I know as Mail Program Manager, her leadership and rallying of “Card Angels” is going to keep a lot of seniors connected at a time like this.

Here’s a reminder of how it all began…and a challenge to support her and her fellow card makers and senders at this critical time.

Week #117

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.”

Renee’s story began a few years before that — 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!

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

Week #176

I chatted with Renee again in January 2018 to get an update and find out her goal for the year ahead: 2,700 cards.

[Week #176 – Happyness Re-Visited: 2,000 Smiles and Counting!]

Week #221

And when I checked back with Renee in December of 2018, she not only met her goal — she blew past it! 3,000 cards and still counting at the time of that post!

[Week #221 – Happyness: It’s in the Mail!  (3,000 Smiles and STILL Counting)]

And now, their mission is critical.

Bring Smiles operates 100% on donations for all expenses and supplies to keep their program going. 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: Help BRING SMILES TO SENIORS!  Visit “Bring Smiles to Seniors” on the Web or on Facebook to find out how you can donate postage, 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!”

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

3/13/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

(PS: Special thanks to Renee Eisman for taking the time to share her story for my original post and all the updates that followed!  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 renee@bringsmilestoseniors.com.)