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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

ELLE Fashion Ad for Neiman Marcus Features Sagamore Hills
Jennifer Koch, Executive Director & Founder of Smiles with Style

Cleveland, OH – If you are scanning the slick mega pages of the September issue of Elle magazine, you will see the familiar face of Sagamore Hills’ resident, Jennifer Koch. She is also the executive director and founder of Smiles with Style, a non-profit volunteer organization that provides mini-makeovers to children who are hospitalized. Koch was selected for the Neiman Marcus Faces of Beauty Fall 2015 Campaign which is launching on September 10 and Elle has a feature spread (after page 480) to showcase the upcoming Beauty Event in their stores and online.

 

Chosen from over 1,100 entries, Koch is one of the six women who were selected for making a difference through their individual passion for causes that are changing the world. Neiman Marcus is recognizing these women in the upcoming fall campaign that will launch with The Beauty Event in September illustrating the outward beauty of the women and detailing each of their individual causes.

 

In May, Koch traveled to the Neiman Marcus flagship store in Dallas for a video shoot and photo session with the other women. They were also interviewed for the video, which will appear online providing insight on each woman’s philanthropic cause and dedication to making a difference in her community and nationally.

 

“It was a profound experience,” said Koch. “I have become friends with these women in sharing our stories on the causes we care about and the challenges we face in forging our efforts to help others. The experience was truly about the inner beauty, vision and soul we all have for our philanthropic efforts. I was sincerely honored to have Neiman Marcus convey my story with the world.”

 

The Smiles with Style organization grew from Koch’s volunteer experience and her goal to put a smile on the face of every child suffering from illness. The organization’s services are provided by volunteers free of charge to hospital patients. (All products are donated to the children they serve.) The makeovers are small in terms of physical transformation (tiaras, lip gloss, costume jewelry for a little girl or a pirate’s outfit for a little boy), but the huge smiles that appear are tremendous.

 

“The Faces of Beauty are a stunning representation of beautiful-from-the-inside-out women who are making some noise in their worlds about issues that affect all of us,” said Kelly St. John, Vice President DMM, Beauty for Neiman Marcus.

 

The Fall 2015 Faces of Beauty featuring Koch will be launched on September 10 during The Beauty Event at Neiman Marcus stores and online at www.NeimanMarcus.com/FacesofBeauty

 

About Smiles with Style

Smiles with Style is a 501c3 organization that provides mini-makeovers to children who are hospitalized.  For more information on starting a chapter in your area or becoming a volunteer, please visit (www.smileswithstyle.org)

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For media interviews and additional info, please contact Nancy M. Valent at 216-513-8740 or email nancy@NMVstrategies.com

Jen Koch 

Founder & Executive Director Smiles with Style, Inc. 

Phone: 216-409-9988 

E-Mail: jen@smileswithstyle.org

Smiles with Style Thanks Hudec Dental!

The Hudec Dental team sure knows how to create SMILES!  

I was blown away when I stopped by the Hudec company picnic on Friday, August 14th to pick up their product donations. Each of their 17 offices donated makeover supplies. There were so many items we needed two cars just to fit everything!

Hudec Dental donated over 25 gift baskets overflowing with makeover supplies. Their creativity is outstanding. One of the baskets was shaped like a car pulling a trailer. They has a beach theme complete with rafts and umbrellas. Several baskets were draped in boas and tutus! They were all absolutely adorable.

 

Your generosity is tremendous. The wide range of makeover supplies will provide hundreds of SMILES and makeover visits for the hospitalized children.

Thank you to everyone that participated and to Kristi Sherman for planning and coordinating the donation drive.

Thank you Hudec Dental for this remarkable donation. We appreciate your generosity, kindness, and support of Smiles with Style.

Smiles with Style: The Next Generation Provides HOPE in a World Filled with Hatred and Violence

In a world filled with hatred and violence, today’s youth provide encouragement. Both the patients we see and our volunteers who bring SMILES to pediatric patients provide hope!

Our volunteers can teach us about giving our time and being compassionate. Most of our volunteers are college age and many are premed students. They have a full class load, part-time jobs and the pressures of applying to highly competitive medical schools. Despite all of the demands for their time they are always eager and willing to volunteer.

It’s encouraging to witness the next generation giving back and expressing compassion.  Our volunteers are a wonderful example of creating hope.

The children we visit in the hospital have taught us about accepting one another.  Our volunteers typically visit with children in their hospital rooms so that we can provide individual attention, but occasionally we will see children in the hospital playrooms. The playrooms are stocked with toys, games and crafts for the children to use. I am in awe of how the children interact with one another.  They don’t see the physical differences amongst them.  For instance, I watched a little boy who’d recently had a partial leg amputation play with other cancer patients who’d lost their hair.  None of the children asked each other about their physical impairments and frankly I don’t think they noticed!  They accepted each other and played just as healthy children would play together.

I frequently remark about how inspiring children can be for their resiliency, but now I can add acceptance. It’s an important reminder that somewhere between childhood and adulthood we all became a little less accepting.

Thank you to our volunteers for your time, compassion and for providing hope for the future! Thank you to the children we bring SMILES to for reminding us to accept others for their differences.

You can make an immediate impact on the life of a child.

DONATE NOW

Smiles with Style Thanks The Northern Ohio Italian American Foundation!

The Northern Ohio Italian American (NOIA) Foundation raised

 $15,000 

for Smiles with Style!

On Monday, July 6th 90 golfers and over 30 sponsors participated in the annual NOIA golf outing at Canterbury Golf Club. This is our largest donation to date and the funds will have a significant impact.  $15,000 will provide over 1,500 Smiles for hospitalized children.

We are incredibly honored and thankful for their generous donation. For NOIA this is the highest grossing golf fundraiser to date. Their director, Angie Spitalieri, said our mission resonated with many of their members. One of the reasons they selected Smiles with Style is a direct patient experience. The daughter of a NOIA board member received a visit from Smiles with Style while she was a patient at UH Rainbow Babies.

Thank you to everyone that participated and to Angie Spitalieri for planning a fantastic event.

Thank you NOIA for this remarkable donation. We appreciate your generosity and kindness.

Green Hairbrushes an Unlikely Source of Hope brought to you by Smiles with Style

I’ve written this story over and over again in my head, sharing it with others is a huge responsibility and I hope I do it justice. I share this message of hope.

Several months ago Smiles with Style started volunteering with a new hospital partner. On my initial visit the very first child I meet is Lilly. She’s a 4 year old oncology patient that’s lost all of her hair. On our first encounter she is mesmerized by the makeover cart. She loves the tutu that encircles the cart. She grabs a large green brush off of the cart. I cringe inside. My first concern is we don’t allow children to play with and touch the cart to prevent the spread of germs. Also, she picked an expensive brush which is often a much needed item on the cart and she doesn’t have any hair!

Oddly, Lilly did not want anything else from the makeover cart that day. The only thing she wanted was the big green brush. I went on to visit with the other children in oncology. When I was leaving she came running down the hall after me and grabbed me around my legs and gave me a big hug. She thanked me for the brush.

I saw Lilly once a week for several months after that initial visit. Each time she had the green brush! I couldn’t believe it. Each week she told me her hair was growing back. I didn’t see any signs of her hair growing back, but she was hopeful.  She was ready with her green brush in hand.  

I learned a few weeks ago that Lilly lost her battle and passed away. I had just arrived at the hospital when I heard the news. I quietly went up to retrieve the makeover cart. When I got to the room I called my husband because I needed to talk to someone before I went to see the children. Once I heard his voice the floodgate of tears opened up.  “I don’t think I can do this” I cried.

Two amazing things happened:

First, my husband reminded me of the joy that Smiles with Style brought Lilly in her final days. We were able to make her smile and bring joy each week. We hopefully made a difference in her life. The pep talk was enough for me to get “back on the horse” and visit other kids that day.

I realized Lilly taught me a valuable lesson about the power of hope. Each time I saw her she was smiling and hopeful. I never heard her complain. I will never forget Lilly and her amazing spirit. I am lucky to do what I do and meet such amazing children.  

When you see hope in your children’s eyes enjoy every moment!    

- Jen Koch

Smiles are a UNIVERSAL Language

I am continually moved by my experiences while volunteering. Such moments inspire me to continue to devote my full time and attention to growing Smiles with Style. I thought I would begin to share some of the special moments with our supporters:

I was pushing the makeover cart through the main lobby of University Hospital when I was stopped by one of the hospital's translators. She was accompanied by a young girl who was probably 13 or 14 years old and appeared to be of Middles Eastern descent. Her hair was covered in a veil, but her face was visible. The right side of her face was severely scarred from what looked like burns. I couldn't help but to wonder what tragedies she had been exposed to at such a young age. 

The young girl did not speak English and the translator briefly left us for a few minutes while she spoke with an employee at the desk behind us. I handed the young girl a few items (lip gloss, hairbrush, and lotion) from the makeover cart. She became very excited and started smiling in a somewhat lopsided fashion due to the injuries to her face. I smiled in return. I pointed to my smile and clapped.

She was grinning and beaming with joy. I knew she was thrilled. In that moment, I realized we were able to communicate entirely through SMILES!

- Jen Koch

https://www.facebook.com/SmileswithStylekids