June
Sydni Smiles started selling shirts and hoodies to help promote awareness for childhood cancer and the need for increased funding!
September
The month of September is dedicated to raising childhood awareness by going gold. There are so many ways for people and businesses to show their support! From attire, accessories and decals to paint, lights, signs, and more! We have an amazing community that came together to support our “Paint the 4-States Gold” campaign. Together with Camp Quality Ozarks, Leslie Heady, and Miranda Garrison, we gathered volunteers to help do window paintings and set up yard signs for participating businesses!
Sept 2nd
September is the month for those to step up and support those who can’t do it for themselves. One opportunity people used to raise awareness for childhood cancer was Seneca’s Gold Out game. Last year, we spoke to some people at our home town of Seneca about doing an annual Gold night game. Flash forward to Seneca’s first home game of the season, that idea became reality. The football game at Seneca against Springfield Catholic was on Sept 2. There we were able to have a booth with some of our merchandise and handed out gold balloons to the players and coaches to carry as they ran onto the field! Additionally, we had a place to register people for the Be The Match with amazing volunteers who ran the booth during the game! This game was incredibly special as we organized and ran this event as part of our nonprofit organization for the first time. The other thing that made this event so special is due to all the support!! This wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of amazing people and sponsors. A huge thank you to all our family, friends, volunteers, and supporters for making this event so special!
Sept 12th
Another one of Seneca’s Gold Out games was the softball game on Sept 12th!
Sept 17th
There was a fantastic turn out at the 1st annual “88 Strong, Passing It On” event with Christian Heady Foundation! Thanks to an amazing four states community for volunteering, participating, and dropping by, we were able to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer! Together with several others, we had a booth to sell our handcrafted items! We are excited to be a part of this event and look forward to watching it grow in the coming years.
Sept 24th
Our precious Sydni passed away on Sept 22nd. So in honor of her, we decided to dedicate the first Saturday following Sept 22nd as “Smile Day Celebration”. This was our first year kickoff of this annual event and it was a huge success!! We had bounce houses, face painting, food, desserts, music, games and more. We reached out to the local community to bring in vendors with unique handmade items to sell along with us as well. While there was much preparation work in planning this event, it was so enjoyable to watch families having a great time. We had so many amazing volunteers who helped plan, prepare, and kept the event running smoothly. We couldn’t have made the day happen without the much needed and appreciated help! Thanks to the fantastic vendors and everyone who stopped by, we were able to celebrate Sydni while raising awareness and funding for childhood cancer research! To continue to make this event even better, we are full of ideas and are looking forward to next year. We hope to see you there!
December
Adopted Christmas Family: Back on November 3rd we reached out to our community and friends to let them know of an opportunity to bless a local family affected by cancer. We set up an amazon wish list for each family member as an easy way for others to help give a gift the family needed. Within days presents started arriving thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our community! With everyone’s support, we were able to bless this child and their family in a great time of need and uncertainty.
Handcrafted Items: As several of our friends were asking for ways to be involved, we decided to open up a specific facebook page. In this group, we are showcasing and selling handcrafted items that are created by volunteers of Sydni Smiles! All proceeds from item sales go to Sydni Smiles in support of our efforts to raise awareness for childhood cancer, to increase funding for childhood cancer research, and to provide support and assistance to families affected by childhood cancer. Each item is made by hand with love, and our hope is that you’ll love each item you purchase and proudly show it off! If you’re a crafter or simply wish to help, we would love for you to join our group!
Dec 3rd
To continue spreading holiday cheer and raising awareness about childhood cancer, we joined in the 2nd Annual Holiday Bazaar at Seneca! We had several unique, handcrafted items, from tumblers and bracelets to home decor, shirts, and more! We enjoyed seeing everyone who dropped by and are looking forward to next year’s event.