WHO WE ARE
Welcome to Write A Smile!
Write A Smile is currently run by one person, Stephanie, but the aim is to expand it with the help of a few people who have expressed interest in its development, with a goal to apply for charity status if this project takes off as hoped.
WHAT WE DO
The intent behind Write A Smile is to find people from around the world willing to volunteer to send postcards that will be forwarded to people in need of a smile. The parcels will include 20-50 postcards each (depending on how many we receive), as well as a personalised notebook where possible.
The recipients will be selected by recognised organisations that support people for medical or emotional reasons or other types of support groups.
I am currently in the process of putting postcards together to approach a few organisations to gauge their interest in receiving such parcels (without cost to them), but I have come to realise that without help from volunteers, it will be difficult for me to get enough postcards in a timely manner.
In order to protect the identity of the recipients and the reason for which they may be in need of a smile, no organisation will be named on this website without their explicit approval. The names or locations of the recipients will also not be shared for data privacy reasons. If some organisations agree to share first names and/or themes for the postcards to send to the recipients, these will be shared on this website. However all parcels will be sent to the organisations that we will work with so as to keep the recipients' personal details protected.
HISTORY SO FAR
I have been living with anxiety and depression for 35-40 years. The feeling of isolation and loneliness I experienced at various points gave me the idea for Write A Smile in 2016 but I put the project aside due to self-doubts about whether it would achieve its purpose. In 2020 I eventually decided to give it a go and the first "test" packages were sent to friends at the end of that year.
So far, I have sent 10 Write A Smile parcels to friends and family. All of them were received with great enthusiasm and praise for the thoughts behind it and it is time to expand it so more people can enjoy them.
I currently get the postcards via a postcard exchange website. While I will keep following this method for my friends and family, for time and cost reasons, I will not be able to expand the reach of this project using this process as every postcard received requires me to send a postcard to someone in exchange. Hence the reason for this website, in the hope that we can find people willing to give their time and kindness to send postcards to complete strangers.