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SmileMakers Guild
Give the best gift of all – to remember others during the holidays – and you will be rewarded with the gift of knowing you brought smiles to the faces of frail or isolated older adults who might otherwise have been forgotten.
Become a SmileMaker
Do what you already do during the holidays…shop, wrap, think of others. Each year, the SmileMakers Project remembers more than 1,600 frail and often forgotten seniors living in nursing and residential care homes as well as dependent adults living in the community.
SmileMakers tells seniors they are not forgotten during a time of year recognized for increased loneliness and depression, particularly among those facing the losses of aging. Your gifts – time, effort, or funds – supply needed personal items and lifts spirits when it’s needed most.
Who benefits?
SmileMakers volunteer for the Council on Aging–Orange County and work with nursing and residential care facility staff to identify seniors who have outlived family and friends or who are most likely to go without a gift during the holiday season.
Low income seniors have priority.
How are the gifts selected?
Recipients are interviewed as to their wish lists - - gift preferences and/or special needs, including colors and sizes. Typical gifts include clothing, slippers, long distance telephone certificates, fruit and candy and miscellaneous items specifically requested.
| What can I do? |
| Shop: |
Gift lists are assigned to “shoppers” who purchase requested items. |
| Wrap: |
The Council hosts an annual Wrap Party in early December where volunteers enjoy a festive day of food and fun as they wrap and tag the gifts. |
| Deliver: |
Volunteer drivers deliver the gifts to participating facilities and to individual homes. |
| Think SmileMakers all Year Long: |
| Join the SmileMakers Guild to help in the year-round work of planning, raising funds, and recruiting other volunteers. Help with preparation projects. |
How is the SmileMakers project funded?
Corporate partners, Angel Tree sponsors, and individual donations as well as grant funds support the purchase of the gifts.
Additionally the SmileMakers Guild hosts fundraisers during the year, such as the Afternoon at the Improv.
SmileMakers – Improv Special Event
In-kind donations exceed $40,000 annually. Some $2,000 worth of wrapping paper, boxes, gift tags, and ribbon are donated by corporations. All shopping, wrapping, delivery time and mileage are donated.
How can I get involved?
Call the Council on Aging at (714) 479-0107, and let us know that you want to give the gift of smiles.
Register here to become a SmileMakers Volunteer
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