In the summer of 2010, Eric Cope and his wife, Geri, traveled to Central America on a trip that sparked a vision to improve children’s health around the world, and led them to launch Smile Squared – a company that asks consumers to rethink their toothbrush purchases and consider giving a smile to someone in need.
How Smile Squared came to be: All of our children are adopted, and our son, Benny, who’s the oldest of our three, is from Guatemala. Our hearts have been invested in that country since we picked up Denny in 2005. Our loyalties and desire to help came to a head in 2012, when my wife and I decided it was time to give back to the communities surrounding the one that gave us our boy.
As per the dental health give: well, that seemed more of a decision made FOR us instead of BY us; it really happened by chance. We went down to Guatemala in 2010 to fact-find to see how we could best help local women and children. At the same time we were packing up for the day, a group of volunteers with the same travel host were headed to a dental clinic and asked us for some help. It was kind of a natural situation, but I felt a little silly since I didn’t know any Spanish and I didn’t know much about dental health, until someone in the group asked me, “You know how to brush your teeth, right?” And I said yes; and he said, “Great! Show the kids.” So I did, and with no sinks or running water, I was also assigned the task of holding trash sacks open for kids to spit in.
And the rest is history, really. Being in Guatemala and seeing the severity of the dental situations brought on because poverty doesn’t always make room for purchases like toothbrushes gave way to the realization that there exists so much opportunity to help improve children’s health.
By the time we returned home, this full-circle concept was etched in our hearts and minds.
Shortly after the trip to Guatemala, I was doing more research than I’d done in a long time, and ran running across an article about a trash vortex in the Pacific that floats around collecting garbage, and it’s basically the size of Texas.* With the article there was a picture of a scuba diver holding up plastic, alongside a caption that read, “Is this your toothbrush?” And there was the lightbulb!
I didn’t want to keep contributing to that problem, and this solution linked directly back to our learnings of a need in Guatemala. Eventually, after tons of research and consulting with people who understand environmental affairs better than we do, we arrived at the concept of a buy-one-give-one business built around bamboo toothbrushes, which are excellent to people and good to the Earth.
How they give: Right now, we have a few giving partners, and as the business grows, we will do more, but we know we need to remain sensible and responsible, taking good care of the partners we already work with.
With Buckner International, the organization that helped us get started with giving, we plugged into an already-existing, strong and meaningful program. Smile Squared has also donated to other programs, one of which is International Justice Mission (IJM). When IJM rescues someone in from abuse or opression, be it a man, woman or a child, they give that person an after-care kit with some basic goods, like clothes, toiletries and other articles, including a toothbrush. All the items come from local vendors to keep the package culturally appropriate, but we donate the toothbrushes. We’re proud that our contribution is impactful but still simple enough to not require an instruction manual.
Why Smile Squared makes Eric a happy businessman: When all is said and done, it’s simply amazing to work full-time on a project that does good. The mouth affects so many systems in the body; plus when there’s pain and infection, kids don’t want to smile. With Smile Squared, we’re enabling consumers to buy an item that they already have made habit to include on a grocery list, plus to give the opportunity for better health to a person in need. That’s why we call it Smile Squared.
*Source: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914145,00.html
Don’t let Cameron Cohen’s age fool you. At 14, he’s already started his own programming and development business, and arguably more impressively, discovered the importance of true, selfless philanthropy. Here’s his story…
At 11 years old, I was diagnosed with a leg tumor and needed to have surgery. Luckily, the tumor was benign, but I still experienced a long recovery: a 10-day hospital stay, followed by a month in a full-leg cast and wheelchair, and seven months with a brace and crutches. I found myself with new free time and was looking for a distraction. I decided to teach myself how to program iPhone apps.
I’ve always liked technology, but it didn’t consume me. I was interested in more common 11-year-old things, like sports. I had never taken classes on iPhone app development; most of what I ended up learning was through Google-ing and watching videos from Stanford professors.
The December after my surgery, I created my first application, a drawing app called iSketch. I never expected iSketch to generate much money, but I hoped the story might attract some publicity for the hospital. Much to my surprise, iSketch became a big success, and I was able to donate $20,000 towards electronics purchases such as MacBooks, iPads, iPod Touches, iPod Nanos, and iTunes gift cards, for other children at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA. There were many children who might not have had access to fun technology that could keep them distracted from the medical challenges they were facing. I know first-hand how lousy it can be in a hospital! I know playing with these new devices is improving their hospital stays.
Last year (at 13), I released my second iPhone app, a word game called AnimalGrams, and pledged to donate to research that helps kids with bone cancer, the disease I could have developed had my tumor not been benign.
My parents raised me to understand the importance of giving back, but on the business side, I didn’t even know what the word “entrepreneur” meant. In the time since this all began, I have started my own business (which my dad helped me register), called CCC Development (short for Cameron Chase Cohen Development).
When I tell my story, most people are surprised; they don’t really think I’m 14 at first. That’s usually part of my punch line at the end, but I think people are also really happy that kids can see such a necessity to give back, and I am glad I do!
Just last Spring, Cassie Recker prepared to graduate from the University of Indiana by searching high and low, on land, by phone and on the many, many, many paths laid before her online for something of purpose to pursue after college.
President of the TOMS Campus Club at Indiana University, Cassie committed herself to spreading the word about movements, organizations, companies and campaigns that inspired her, and so she hoped to follow that commitment post-commencement. One day, she stumbled upon a few that likened a company called ESPEROS to the One for One promise that’s the backbone of TOMS, and after some exploring what that meant and reaching out by email, she landed herself an internship at a company she believes in.
ESPEROS is a backpack company that funds children’s education, founded on the idea that, in Central America, a child can be educated on US$20 per year.
Of becoming an intern, Cassie said, “It was surprisingly simple, actually. I loved the idea of providing education for development, and this company was helping do that. So, I emailed the team in Austin, Texas to explain my passion for the cause and who I am, and now I work remotely from Bloomington.”
We asked Cassie to break out some tips for young folks looking for places to look for good projects. Here’s what she said….
-Simple as it is: go for it!
Social enterprise is the way to go, and there are new organizations and companies popping up all the time now that really get it. If you’re into what they stand for, reach out and tell them why.
-If you’re turned down, don’t turn away.
I sent more emails than I can even recall, but I kept searching and following leads from every organization and company that I thought was cool. If they worked with another good group, I looked into that group, and may have applied there too.
-You may have to start unpaid, but do what you can to make it work.
Especially with start-up ventures, anything helps. So if your situation seems complicated, simplify it and present why it’s good for everyone. For example, I could not have worked without pay in Austin because I would have to move, so I am working hard, but remotely and offering my skills in the way that I can.
-Don’t wait until you’re job-hunting to get involved in things you care about!
Join clubs built around your passions and build relationships with organizations, companies and groups that stand behind those clubs. Those relationships, along with the ones you’ll form with your peers who are equally as passionate, are a great way to set you in the direction you need to go.
-Ask, ask, ask…and then really listen.
Don’t assume you know everyone’s story based on their website’s description. When you reach out, ask questions, and then pay close attention to the details of how people respond. This usually tells a lot about the level of passion behind a project. The same goes for me now, as I help build a campus presence for ESPEROS. For every 65 emails I send to students about their interest in spreading the word on campus, I maybe get 15 responses. This could be discouraging, except the people that do respond have passion that is so inspiring that it makes the whole process worth it.
Last week Skuzzles released a poster illustrated by Canadian artist Ghoulish Gary for MGM's cult classic movie Teen Wolf. This week they're following up with another cult favorite from MGM's archive, Bloodsport (1988) illustrated by another very talented Canadian artist Randy Ortiz. "What you see is Dux's face right after Bolo throws salt in his eyes, and he ends up having that look of absolute clarity (right after his comical freak out). I thought this scene was a pivotal turning point in the fight. I remember as a kid losing my shit when I first saw this scene."We wanted the poster to look like it came out of the same year that Bloodsport was released and we're really happy with Randy's final results.
