Today, at my house we are overloading on chocolate and heart shaped sugar cookies. What are you up to for Valentine's?
If you are feeling the love today, you may want to share the love. Close to My Heart has partnered with Operation Smile for a long time. And they have made it easy for you to contribute as well.You can donate with every purchase that you make to CTMH, purchase an Operation Smile shirt, or purchase one of the Operation Smile stamp sets (they change periodically). And this month, Close to My Heart is offering a special stamp set, only available in February, Share the Love. For every stamp set purchased, $7.00 is donated to Operation Smile. Each surgery is just $240 so every contribution counts!
Let me show you how darling this stamp set is.
There is not an image in this set I don't love. I am about to date myself but anyone else remember stretching the phone cord into another room or closet (in my case, the laundry room) so no one could hear your conversation? Or actually using a typewriter? I wrote most of my papers on a typewriter in college. Ahhhh.
Well, I had a blast playing with this stamp set. Inspired by Pinterest, I just started randomly stamping.
Those of you who follow me on Facebook and Instagram may have seen this photo posted. I had the privilege of taking part in a 5K at Disneyland to benefit Operation Smile. Yes, we got to see Disneyland early in the morning while the park was empty and we got some fantastic photos (we ran through both California Adventure and Disneyland). But more importantly, at convention, with funds from the race and other activities, Close to My Heart raised $40,000 for Operation smile! Since a smile costs as little as $240, that was 166+ smiles!
Close to My Heart has been a long time partner with Operation Smile to help raise funds for children with cleft lip and cleft palate who may not have access to that surgery otherwise. It's a worthy cause and one that I think is of so much worth. A smile is the easiest thing to give away and can make all the difference in someone's day as well as the way you feel. To be self-conscious of your smile... that is heartbreaking to me. You can learn more about the organization here: operationsmile.org
In May of this year, Close to My Heart's Chief Communication Officer, Monica Wihongi, was part of an Operation Smile surgical trip to Mexico. Monica is fluent in Spanish so it was especially heartwarming for her to help interpret for many of the families of the children. She was joined on the trip by Kate Walsh, an official spokesperson for Operation Smile, who posted this moving video of the trip.
So why am I bringing this up on a crafting blog? Because it is so easy for you to donate to this worthy cause just by doing what you love. And a life changing surgery for a child costs as little as $240! Here's a few ways you can help:
1. Buy the Operation Smile Stamp Set. A portion of every Happy Everything stamp set you buy goes to benefit Operation Smile. And with the new catalog in September, there will be a new set so get one now and get one then!
2. Round up your order with Close to My Heart. Let's say your order total is $24.55. You can choose to round up your order to $25.00 and the difference is donated to Operation Smile. It may seem like pennies but those pennies add up!
3. Buy an Operation Smile t-shirt! These shirts are available in men or women sizes and $10 of every shirt purchased goes to Operation Smile!
Join me in making a difference in the life of a child. As Mother Teresa said, "Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."
