Bring Smiles to Seniors, Inc.
About Us
Established in March of 2016, Bring Smiles to Seniors, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves senior communities across the country. Our staff consists of volunteers who are dedicated to supporting seniors in nursing homes and assisted & independent living communities, as well as those that are homebound or participating in elderly nutrition programs.
Bring Smiles to Seniors also runs an extension of the program in Michigan. We are a completely unpaid volunteer-run organization that is currently staffed by six passionate individuals.
Mission Statement
We strive to connect the circle of life by working with schools, civic organizations, employers and individuals to decorate cards for seniors in nursing homes, assisted & independent living communities, and those that are homebound or participating in elderly nutrition programs. Our team hopes to help younger generations understand the importance of remembering those who paved the way for us, while reminding seniors that they are cared for and loved.
About Our Founder
Ron Tyson, our Founder, established this program in honor of his grandmother, Lola Mae, who suffered from dementia. She stayed in a nursing home until she passed away in Okeechobee, Florida in August of 2016. When he visited her, he noticed that many elderly residents did not have any visitors. Also, many did not receive gifts or cards from anyone. Because of this, Ron decided that he wanted to make a difference in the lives of seniors. He founded Bring Smiles to Seniors in March 2016.
Card Angel Donor Recognition
We call our card donors Card Angels because of the many smiles they bring to seniors across the country. We have four levels of recognition for individuals who have repeatedly donated their talent and cards to support our mission. While each and every card angel is important to the work that we do, these individuals have made extraordinary contributions to our program. Our designation of Star Angel Decorator are for those individuals who have decorated >3,000 cards for our program. These are our current card angel honorees:
Blue Diamond Card Angel (>20,000)
Lillian Abrams - Michigan
Rita Bezdicek - Florida
Joy Brewer - North Carolina
Linda Biese - Wisconsin
Linda Hanzely - Florida
Sharon Massey - Texas
Alice Pompilio - Florida
Pink Star Diamond Card Angel (>10,000)
Paula Anderson - California
Christine Ramirez-Bittman - Texas
Jan DeJianne - New Jersey
Marcia Homa - Washington
Dana Jenkins - Washington
Joan Kinzig - Colorado
Nancy M. - New York
Michelle Ruelle - New Hampshire
Diamond Card Angel (>5,000 cards)
Beth Arnold - Wisconsin
Alma Billmayer - Kentucky
Deb Birkholm - Minnesota
Jill Boteler - Maryland
Cards for Kidz - Illinois
Cheryl Cameron - Wyoming
Vickie Deffries - Washington
Virginia DeLapp - Virginia
Tess DePalma - Florida
Joyce DiFalco - Michigan
Dawn Duplak - Florida
Jencina Elliott - Kansas
P.F. - North Carolina
Michelle Jeanfreau - Tennessee
Maura Johnson - Florida
Diana Lukins - Michigan
Jill Maxwell - Oregon
Lynn Miller - Michigan
Pamela Tetreault - Missouri
Lon Tomokiyo - Hawaii
Lori Palano - California
Laurie - Ohio
Debra Westermann - Michigan
Christine Wheeler - New Jersey
Amanda Wollner - Michigan
Star Angel Decorator
Kim Allen - Wisconsin
Liz Beuhn - Ohio
Kristine Cimmy - Florida
Diana Darnell - Oregon
Patty Diane - Florida
Genia Geddings - South Carolina
Linda Haber - Indiana
Danny Hill - New Jersey
Sam Hill - New Jersey
Ginger Howard - Georgia
Katie Hudson - Washington
Leslie Jacoby - Florida
Janice Spitko - Florida
Molly Spitzer - New Jersey
Morgan Spitzer - New Jersey
Joyce Tietz - Minnesota
Cherryl Vargas - California
Bernice Wead - New York
Gold Card Angel (>2,500 cards)
Janet Birdsall - Texas
Jeanette Beisel - Texas
Joyce Benedict - Michigan
Jo Blackford - Washington
Vicki Brickner - Pennsylvania
Sharon Broussard - Georgia
Diana Carr - Florida
Yvonne Collins - California
Carol Coneeny - New Jersey
Raelynn Corbett - Texas
Margaret Dahms - Minnesota
Maureen Devos - New York
Lee Ernennen - New York
Tina Galloway - Florida
Amy Goossen - California
Jocelyn Glas - New Mexico
Trudi Green - California
Gaylene Gray - Washington
Angela Greenfield - Nebraska
Lisa Harris - Illinois
Ernie Hendrix - Georgia
Linda Hersey - Maryland
Marilyn Hill - California
Robin Hoff - Wisconsin
Ali Huggard - Utah
Ora Jacobson - Missouri
Debbie Jensen - Florida
Tracey Kalz - Arizona
Bonnie Klasell - Washington
Debbie LaCavera - Florida
Cindy Leis - Colorado
Cindy Lewis - Jaqua - Ohio
Sheila Logan - Florida
Sue Lutz - Arkansas
Janet Magdziarz - Minnesota
Debbie Mastroto-Bell - New Jersey
Brenda Oathout - New York
Karren Olaveson - Utah
Becky Prohaska - North Carolina
Carol & Steve Ralser - Arizona
Beth Richardson - Pennsylvania
Daphne Rogers - Florida
Kerri Roup - Florida
Sandy Rose - Ohio
Missy Saucerman - Colorado
Cynthia Sexton - Tennessee
Barb Slager - Florida
Mary Storvik - Illinois
SF Correspondence Co-op
Tracy Strodl - California
Barbara Tether - Maryland
Gail Thompson - Colorado
Theresa Truax - New Jersey
Diane Wallace - Florida
Thsering Wangno - New York
Kristine Warnke - Virginia
Silver Card Angel (>1,000 cards)
Diane Andrade - California
Judy Arbuckle - Silver
Tina Bartolo - Alabama
Lea Beard - Delaware
Jean Black - South Carolina
Martha Bricker - California
Mary Brooks - Iowa
Sonya Casteel - Florida
Mary Cavalier - Illinois
Kim Coffin - Georgia
Susie Cramer - Wisconsin
Donna D'Alessandro
Diane Darnell - Oregon
Kate Deignan - New Jersey
Anne Donaghy - Ohio
Laurie Duncan - Oregon
J. Eberhardt - New York
Teresa Eby - Pennsylvania
Lori Erickson - Arizona
Nancy Ethridge - Georgia
PI Fallin - Florida
Tammi G. - Indiana
Linda Gardner - Missouri
Shirley Gardner - Missouri
Kathy Gatz - Indiana
Terrie Hammonds - West Virginia
Linda Harlan - Wyoming
Tracy Hawes - Michigan
Maryann Hayslip - Kentucky
Carol Hemmelgarn - Ohio
Colleen Herrera - New Mexico
Heidy Hooker - North Carolina
Katie Hudson - Washington
Cindy Inman - Texas
Ruth Johnson - Washington
Theresa Kanitra - Indiana
Debbie Kelly - Tennessee
Kathy Kinsey - Arizona
Evelynne Klein - Florida
Cathy Knapp - Missouri
Mary Kunzmann - New York
Marie Lachle-Martin - California
Sue Ladd - Ohio
Sara Lawson - Florida
Danielle LeFave - Florida
Anita Lingenfelter - Florida
Kandy Litchfield - Illinois
Sue Lyle - Kentucky
Susan - Colorado
Karin Macabeo - Oregon
Tabitha Marie - Texas
Sandra Martin - Colorado
Timmie McErlean - Georgia
Elaine McCullough - Scotland
Wanda Michael - Washington
Brenda Miller - New Jersey
Ann Myers - Louisiana
Cindee Naugle - Pennsylvania
Mary Ellen Norton - Florida
Colleen O'Brien - Massachusetts
Jennifer Ouelette - South Carolina
Tamara Ove - Minnesota
Christine Patterson -
Sue Pegan - Georgia
Elizabeth Pinnel - Washington DC
Anne Pfluger - Texas
Nancy Rhodes - Alabama
Angie Rigelwood - Pennsylvania
Denise Sabonaitis - Massachusetts
Karen Schaal - Illinois
Sharon Schweitzer - Wisconsin
Pamela Seeley - Illinois
Carol Sheehan - Iowa
Maria Steck - California
Joan Stramaglia - Florida
Barbara Suits - Colorado
Doreen Smith - Michigan
Sandra Snipes - South Carolina
Danielle Stockford - Michigan
Jennifer Sutliff - Illinois
Jennifer Taylor - Texas
Betty Trude - Texas
Cathy Varner - Arizona
Cheryl Yamashita - California
Susan Yeingst - Pennsylvania
Jan Walker - Massachusetts
MaryLynn Weller - Washington
Connie Wilfahrt
Sandra Wunsch - South Carolina
Michelle Y. - Arizona
The Benefits of Volunteering
Getting Involved: Make This Year Your Family’s Year!
Amanda Henderson, safechildren.info
Did you know that volunteering is good for you? What’s more, engaging with a charitable organization offers benefits to the whole family. Here is how to make this a year that builds your family members as individuals and knits your family closer together as a unit.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Health benefits. Being involved with a charity and reaching out to help others provides benefits to your own well-being. In fact, according to some studies, there is increasing evidence volunteering is a boon to your health and improves our society on many levels. Those who engage as volunteers experience a reduced mortality rate, improved mental and physical functionality, and lowered risk for depression. Working with a charity decreases your stress levels and enhances your satisfaction with life, adding a sense of purpose to your days. Those who volunteer report increased happiness, improved self-esteem, and a bigger sense of control over life circumstances. It even appears the more time you spend volunteering, the greater your benefit.
Kids, too! Adults aren’t the only ones whose lives improve by doing things outside of themselves. Focus on the Family cites research that found children who volunteer enjoy better self-esteem, enhanced desire to learn, higher levels of motivation, and an improved moral compass. When the experience as a volunteer is positive, children learn that while the work may be challenging, it’s worthwhile and satisfying.
Ties that bind. Connecting with charities as a family offers special benefits. Since volunteering requires communication and teamwork, family members bond. Parents can also enjoy teachable moments that can be hard to come by in other circumstances, and actively demonstrate the value of compassion and generosity.
Responsibility. Children learn basic responsibility from following through on their commitment to a charity. They learn to show up when they say they will, honor their obligation to the best of their ability, and to be pleased with the results of their efforts.
Experience. Volunteering offers opportunities for your children to learn a good work ethic. Also, some experts point out children gain work experience, leadership skills, and networking opportunities. Children can even learn specific job skills which might benefit their future careers.
The power of “one.” Another important message children can gain from volunteering is the impact of one person’s efforts. KidsHealth explains that children see their efforts creating an impact and gain the empowering message that they can make a difference in the world.
Sacrifice and giving. Another great lesson children learn is the principle of sacrifice. They can see the giving of time and effort making a difference, and they can see the benefit when giving items as well. With that in mind, one suggestion is to declutter your home, gleaning gently used items to donate to a charity. Not only does this help a worthy cause, but reduces the amount of “stuff” in your home and helps you stay organized. Consider asking your children to select a special toy or two to give to a less fortunate child. It’s an opportunity for your youngster to learn the value of generosity when you have more than others have. Be sure to lead by example and donate something special of your own.
Community benefits. Engaging with a charitable organization strengthens communities. Agencies and services that use volunteers generally run on little or no income, and rely heavily on support from the efforts of individuals and groups committed to improving the local community.
Volunteering is a terrific way to enhance the well-being of you and your family members while serving your community. Making a charitable effort is not only good for your mental and physical health, it improves your family bond and teaches your children invaluable lessons. Make this your family’s year and spend time giving of yourselves!