The crew at Affordable Buttons volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House near the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, before Christmas.We cooked lasagna and French bread for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House, and we even brought some of our button machines so the children could design and create their own buttons!
The Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, Minnesota, provides a safe, comfortable place for the families of pediatric patients to stay while their child receives treatment at the Mayo Clinic. The Affordable Buttons team had a great time volunteering, and the children had plenty of smiles to go around!
Last month, Affordable Buttons was in New York City celebrating our founder Linda Christopherson’s nomination for the prestigious Women in Business Stevie Award. We were honored to be a finalist!
Tom and Linda Christopherson, founders of Affordable Buttons
We brought our trusty pal and company logo (“Smiley”) with us as we toured New York City—visiting Times Square, Central Park, the World Trade Center, Broadway, and more. Our buttons certainly attracted attention! Complete strangers approached us wondering about our Smiley buttons. What does Smiley stand for? Why were we wearing them?
We explained that Smiley is more than our company logo. It is a symbol of the good our company does for our customers, our employees, our community, and the world. Before long, people were asking if they could wear a Smiley button, too!
Smiley at the Empire State Building
By the end of our trip, we had distributed over 300 Smiley buttons to NYC natives and travelers alike. Smiley buttons went out to wait staff, police officers, a group celebrating a friend’s 50th birthday, a family visiting from South Carolina, a group traveling from overseas, and much more! Perhaps we met you?
Smiley at Rockefeller PlazaSharing Smiley with NYC residents at Rockefeller Plaza
No matter the person’s background, language, or age, Smiley was always received with a genuine and warm smile back. It’s remarkable how easily a smile can lead to further random acts of kindness and helping others. It could lead to volunteering where you’re needed most—or just how your gift of a smile could be exactly what is needed for a precise moment in time.
Sharing Smiley with Fellow Travelers
Smiley may started his journey in NYC and he’s off to travel the world! You never know where he’ll show up next, it could be in a location near you. If you get the chance to meet Smiley, please pass him on to others and if you’d like to share it with us through tagging us on Facebook with stories and pictures, we’d LOVE it!
