I'm excited to be writing my very first blog post for Tori Joy's Smiles!
This group started out as a sparkle in my eye. My friend's daughter, Tori, has neurofibromatosis, and has been going through chemotherapy to stop the growth of some tumors in her eyes. An organization called Chemo Angels send her cheerful cards and gifts every week. When Tori's mom, Michelle, blogged about how much Chemo Angels helped Tori, I decided I wanted to be a Chemo Angel for someone as well. So I signed up, and became an angel, first to a woman with breast cancer, and later to a 13-year-old girl with leukemia.
One day I was looking at a website where people ask for wishes to be granted by others. Many people were asking for cards and friendly mail to be sent to their children. Some couldn't afford birthday presents for their children and wanted to organize something special, like a mailbox full of cards, to make up for it. One mother wrote that she was homeless, and her twins would get nothing for their birthday at all. Some had children who were experiencing mental illnesses, and their parents wanted them to have something to brighten their days. One mother talked about her child being the victim of sexual abuse, and the anxiety and depression that was plaguing the child now.
I realized, there were probably a lot of children who could use an emotional boost. So I started a group and began looking for others to join me.
That was less than a week ago, and we have a handful of group members now, with more joining every day. We also have a list of 12 children with parents requesting cards for them. And, to make things even more exciting, Ricki Lake (who, by the way, has a genuine heart of gold, and has become an auntie to Tori) actually came to our website and made a donation, which will help pay for the costs of postage and also allow us to buy some small surprises to tuck into envelopes for the children!
I decided I wanted to include Tori's name in the name of the group because she definitely has a beautiful, bright smile, despite all the things she's been through. I explain more about that in the Who Is Tori Joy section of the website. Tori's mother and another friend of mine, Jamie, helped me come up with what is now the permanent group name.
I am so excited to do as much as I can to help this group grow, and to spread smiles and joy to children everywhere!
This group started out as a sparkle in my eye. My friend's daughter, Tori, has neurofibromatosis, and has been going through chemotherapy to stop the growth of some tumors in her eyes. An organization called Chemo Angels send her cheerful cards and gifts every week. When Tori's mom, Michelle, blogged about how much Chemo Angels helped Tori, I decided I wanted to be a Chemo Angel for someone as well. So I signed up, and became an angel, first to a woman with breast cancer, and later to a 13-year-old girl with leukemia.
One day I was looking at a website where people ask for wishes to be granted by others. Many people were asking for cards and friendly mail to be sent to their children. Some couldn't afford birthday presents for their children and wanted to organize something special, like a mailbox full of cards, to make up for it. One mother wrote that she was homeless, and her twins would get nothing for their birthday at all. Some had children who were experiencing mental illnesses, and their parents wanted them to have something to brighten their days. One mother talked about her child being the victim of sexual abuse, and the anxiety and depression that was plaguing the child now.
I realized, there were probably a lot of children who could use an emotional boost. So I started a group and began looking for others to join me.
That was less than a week ago, and we have a handful of group members now, with more joining every day. We also have a list of 12 children with parents requesting cards for them. And, to make things even more exciting, Ricki Lake (who, by the way, has a genuine heart of gold, and has become an auntie to Tori) actually came to our website and made a donation, which will help pay for the costs of postage and also allow us to buy some small surprises to tuck into envelopes for the children!
I decided I wanted to include Tori's name in the name of the group because she definitely has a beautiful, bright smile, despite all the things she's been through. I explain more about that in the Who Is Tori Joy section of the website. Tori's mother and another friend of mine, Jamie, helped me come up with what is now the permanent group name.
I am so excited to do as much as I can to help this group grow, and to spread smiles and joy to children everywhere!