We have facilitated more than one hundred team building events for some of the largest companies across the country. Along with our partners, we have delivered thousands of cheer-up gift boxes to children’s hospitals. During the delivery event, we only get to see the surface of the impact made in these children’s lives.

Meeting thousands of children and handing off a green box to them, we see their initial smiles. We don’t know what situations they’ve faced or how bad it may be, but when we hear from their parents that this smile is the first they’ve seen in days or weeks, we get a deeper look into the impact. That’s what it means when we say we “deliver smiles.” Big green boxes are great, but smiles are better.

Having delivered thousands of Cheeriodicals we know all to well that our “Big Green Box” doesn’t cure the illness or mend broken bones, but that’s not the point. Our hope is that for just a few minutes a child can forget about their situation and just enjoy being a child. That’s exactly what happens! Sometimes a child and his parents have had a rough morning or received hard news. In times when life becomes more confusing and painful than usual, being confronted with those tough moments can only be overshadowed by being confronted with care and compassion. The child life teams and medical professionals we’ve met do a great job of that.

We’re thankful that our team and the corporate teams we lead to deliver get the opportunity to join in showing that same care and compassion with a short visit, a big green box, and a smile.