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Who We Are
Dear Friend,
Thanks for visiting us here at our on-line home. If you were here in person, I'd invite you in, pour you a cup of tea and share our story with you. And I'm not about to let a little cyber-distance interfere with that! So pull up a chair, make yourself at home, and I'll tell you how it all began!
Smiles To Go was born as a "kitchen-table startup" in October of 1994, inspired by a milestone in my mother's life.
Just a few months earlier, my mother had celebrated her 70th birthday. She's a woman who selflessly gave to her family throughout every one of those 70 years, and I had wanted to honor all the love and joy she had brought into the world.
"How can I show her how much we all care about her?" I wondered. That question inspired a series of phone calls to family and friends, and I asked each of them to write down a few happy memories to share with her. "Just a sentence or two," I said. "Something to remind her of a fun time that you shared, or something wonderful that you appreciate about her, something to make her smile or warm her heart."
I sent out dozens of bright little paper strips, and people filled each one with a memory, a quote, a joke or a few words of loving appreciation. As I read through them, tears filled my eyes. I carefully folded each message, placed it in a pastel plastic egg, and piled the eggs in a basket tied with festive spring-colored ribbons.
That basket still sits in my mother's home, and whenever she needs a smile, each little message is waiting to warm her heart again. As word spread about the gift we'd given her, people kept telling me what a wonderful idea it was. "Go ahead!" I encouraged them, "You can do this too." But alas, life is so busy these days, and most people said they just didn't have the time. (If you DO have the time, please "borrow" the idea. It's such fun to do, and your mother or friend will love it!)
"Won't you make one for us?" these busy people asked. And that's how "Smiles To Go for a Special Mom" began. "Smiles To Go for a Special Friend" came along soon after, to honor the special role that friendship plays in our lives. And we're still collecting quotes from far and wide to fill more jars in the future. So if you'd like to share a smile too, please visit our "Share a Quote" Page. We'd love to hear from you!
With Smiles,
Deb Giffen
Founder
Our Mission
At Smiles To Go, we are people with a mission and we thank you for joining our cause. Our mission is to make the world a little brighter, one smile at a time.
We do this by:
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Providing Gifts That Are Fun and Meaningful:
Sharing a smile lifts your spirits and boosts your immune system. What better way to care for our friends!?
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Helping People Connect With Family and Friends:
We're all so busy these days, that it's hard to stay in touch. With 160 little messages, we can touch our friends' hearts every day.
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Providing Jobs For Physically and Mentally Challenged Workers:
They love working on our products, and I wish you could see their smiles as they open the paycheck they've earned each week! They feel so proud to be valued in the workplace.
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Donating 10% Of Our Profits To Charity:
Giving back is so good for the Soul!
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