Project Smile History Wrap Up

So to wrap up Project Smile history- 2006 came to an end on a high note with the Celtics award and our continued fundraising growth. We had done our usual 1,000 calendars and only had about 60 left unsold- that was our best sales to date. 2007 rolled in and we kept chugging. We had expanded to offer small toys and reading books along with the stuffed animals and coloring books/crayons. We were making progress and that was the most important thing. 2007 was an exciting year particularly in terms of the growth of events. When we had done our anniversary celebration at the office in 2006, someone had told me that someday I'd be holding our celebration at a hotel. I had laughed when he said it, thinking it would be years away. By May, I had decided that it would be this year- that there was no point in waiting. So, we booked the Sheraton Hotel in Milford (they donated the space) and went to work finding sponsors to cover the cost of the event. It was pretty scary actually, because I had no idea if I'd get enough sponsors or how I would get enough people to actually show up at the event- so it wouldn't be just me, my mom and four friends! I won't bore you with all the details (there will be a ton of details coming up as I work on this year's event!), but with help from a number of awesome people, the event was a success- we raised $5,000 and had a great turnout. I was happy and relieved!

Last year, we also did our first ever date auction. We auctioned off dates with single police officers, fire fighters and other Boston single guys and ladies. We held it at Gypsy Bar in Boston (a great location with a terrific staff) and we got the New England Patriots cheerleaders to attend as well. They were fantastic- so professional, friendly and a great addition to the event. The event was a success, almost 300 people attende! Work is currently underway on this year's event which will be even better.

There are so many other things that have happened- many good things, a few lousy things, but I need tons more space than this blog to share it all. But hopefully this gives a pretty good idea of where Project Smile came from. Now, it is all about where the heck we are going!

The Early Days- 2006 and Our Anniversary Celebration

2005 ended on a major high note and 2006 rolled in. We expanded to provide items for fire fighters to give to children and, based on feedback from participating departments, we expanded to offer coloring books and crayons for police and fire fighters to have on hand for children. I did as much public speaking as possible, usually at Rotary Clubs and I fundraised non stop. The grants came in, mostly small amounts, but it was enough to keep moving forward. It wasn't easy, but by the spring and summer of 2006, we had a rhythmn.

I went to work on our 2007 calendar, this time including fire fighters with their children. I worked on getting raffle prizes, this time without the panic from last year's debacle with the Patriots tickets. We started planning a small Anniversary Celebration at the office in October. The idea of an Anniversary Celebration at first seemed pretty funny- had we actually been around that long already? But the goal was to have a fundraising event that could turn into our annual signature event. We had a small silent auction, lots of food and drink, debuted the 2007calendar and invited everyone who was in the calendar and everyone I knew and my mom knew, to attend. I also invited John Fernandes, who at the time had just won a rather heated campaign for the democratic nomination for state Representative, unseating the incumbent. I called him, unsure if he would even show up. He showed up, along with 50 other people. Our profit was small, but it was a great event. Personally, I couldn't believe that so many people would show up to support my work.

The fall rolled along, no dramas, no disasters, just slow progress. Then early November came and I went to get my hair colored (I saw my first strand of white hair on my 17th birthday!). I sat under the dryer, waiting patiently, when my cell phone rang. It was my mom and she had news....