Smiles Bring Hope

Today I am going to talk about Smiles for Margaret, a nonprofit that was started in my town for a young girl named Margaret Walling. Just to give some background on this organization, it was started by Margaret’s parents after their 12 year old daughter died from complications with a malignant brain tumor. After most of the tumor was removed in 2012, Margaret was hopeful for recovery, but less than a year after the surgery, the tumor ruptured in her brain and spine. She passed away 13 months later in December of 2013. The organization was initially started to help pay for the medical bills incurred during Margaret’s treatment, but it has continued to help families that are going through similar situations because during Margaret’s recovery period she wanted “to help other families like [hers]”. Therefore, even after Margaret’s passing the organization continues to fulfill her wishes.


The mission of this organization is “to address, educate, coordinate, and provide aid and relief to chronically ill children and US veterans of war”. The mission statement includes US veterans of war because Margaret’s father is a veteran. Therefore, because Margaret wanted to help families like hers, Margaret’s parents decided to extend the scope of the organization. However, their main program is turning over the funds they receive to families with children battling pediatric cancer. Smiles for Margaret asks families if they need help so the families do not have to ask themselves. Therefore, the organization seeks out families in need so they do not have to spend time trying to find financial support during an already stressful situation. Once the money is given to families, they are able to use it as they see fit with most applying it to medical bills. The organization also holds events to raise emergency funds for families or money to buy gifts for children.


Smiles for Margaret is relatively new, just getting its 501(c)3 verification in 2014. Because of this, their gross receipts are not greater than $50,000 so they only have to fill out a 990-N(e-postcard). There is very little financial information on it, but I have attached it if you would like to look it over. The organization is ran by a board of 3-15 directors. The directors are not paid for their duties, but can be reimbursed for expenses that they incur while fulfilling their responsibilities, such as travel costs for attending board meetings. Therefore, even a small donation goes a long way because the organization has very little operating costs, allowing for almost all of of the proceeds to go directly to the families that need the support.


Most of the donations have come from the support of people in the community. This ranges from students at the local middle school having lemonade stands with all the proceeds going to the organization or clubs at the high school holding fundraisers with partial proceeds going to the organization. However, their largest event is the annual Huff and Puff After You Stuff 5K walk. This event is amazing because the entire community comes together to support the organization and everything is planned by the family with the help of volunteers. In high school I was able to volunteer at this event and it was incredible to see the profound effect the organization has on the families who were also going through what the Walling’s had to endure. Families that have received donations from Smiles for Margaret attend the 5K walk and are able to speak about the positive impact the extra money had in their life, as well as thank the organization and its volunteers for the support they were receiving. The families are grateful for having extra financial support as it is one less thing to worry about when their child is going through chemo and radiation treatments.


Although Smiles for Margaret lacks in financial statistics that are often used as a touchstone for the effectiveness of a nonprofit, it gives families in need much more than financial support. The success of Smiles for Margaret creates hope for these families, as it shows them that even after the death of their child, their memory can live on. Smiles for Margaret has become a symbol for families with children battling cancer that there is hope for the future. Although small, Smiles for Margaret has been making a big impact. I hope you guys consider donating our money here as it can benefit families, like Margaret’s, both financially and emotionally. Even a small donation can make a big difference.





Here are the links for their website and Facebook page:


https://www.facebook.com/SmilesForMargaret/




http://www.smilesformargaret.org/portfolio.html