"I learned at a young age how important it is for a child to gain self-worth and confidence from serving others. I remember my parents encouraging me to help after group efforts and secretly taking money to needy families. I also learned from my Grandma how to constantly incorporate service into our daily lives. She was always making quilts for people, making treats for people, giving money to the needy, writing kind letters of encouragement and strongly urging her family members to work hard serving others and giving our lives for good, not selfishness. This example has been deeply imprinted in the fiber of my soul and I am eternally grateful for parents and grandparents who taught me this valuable jewel of lesson: If you want to be happy, immerse yourself in the service of your fellow beings and your God."

"When I was in high school, I worked as a life guard at the old Saratoga Springs Water Park in Saratoga Springs, UT. One day, patrolling the warm spring waters, I noticed a family with 2 little girls who had physical abnormalities that I couldn't identify. I started talking to the grandfather of these little girls about them. He told me that both sisters, Jessica and Amber had a rare kind of Leukemia called "aplastic anemia" and what rare odds that both sisters were infected with this horrible disease! He also mentioned that the monetary cost to treat these angels was astronomical and their parents just did not have the funds to pay for all the medical bills. My heart ached for this adorable little family. Right on the spot, I told the Grandpa that my friends and I would figure out a way to help them. I implored the help of a show choir that I was a member of at Lehi High School. Our instructor and all choir members agreed to put on a benefit concert to raise money for these precious girls. We put on the benefit concert and our choir, for the first time performed not for personal glory, but for the benefit of these girls. I saw how united people become when they leave their own personal agendas and reach out to someone else in need. I learned that a spirit of generosity and love can change hearts and reach beyond bounds of logic. Our little choir raised $1,000 for this family. This was just a drop in the bucket, but it was done with love and sincere service. This experience changed my life!"

"I went on to Ricks College after I graduated Lehi High School. At the end of my Freshman year, I became the President of a service club on campus called "Serving With Smiles". Our club was quite successful and once again I learned and witnessed how hearts changed and reached out beyond their own personal agendas to help someone else who had a greater or different need. When I was pregnant with our 5th child, I was challenged to figure out what my personal mission in life was. Well, being tired and unable to think beyond taking daily naps and making sure my children were fed, I couldn't imagine that there was much that I could offer society. Besides raising a family, what unique gifts did I have or what unique experiences had I been given that would help our society and neighbors. I honestly could not answer this challenge. I did not know. I kept trying to think of job skills or displayed talents. I came up with nothing. Then my husband asked me, "what just makes you excited and happy? What have you been good at before that has blessed the lives of others?" I thought of my life experiences with service and I knew that Service was the gift that I wanted to share with my children, our society and the world."

"I feel so blessed to be a part of Serving with Smiles! I love working with Corinne! We are a great team and I couldn't ask for a better partner! I am especially grateful to work with all the directors who have, like a magnet been attracted to SWS because of their similar life stories and desires for their families. I'm grateful for my husband, Joel and my children for passionately involving themselves. This organization is a light in so much darkness because children are learning valuable lessons of service, hard work, compassion and leadership! These children are already sharing this light with others in their families and with their friends. We have had children report that for their birthday parties, they asked their friends to not bring presents, but bring money to donate towards assembling humanitarian kits and other projects!! That is the coolest thing ever! I love the children of SWS immensely and I feel honored to work along side them!"

Corinne Allen
 Co-Founder, Kits Manager, Schools Specialist

"I was born and raised in central California. When I was 8 my mother, at the age of 28, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

My dad usually worked 2 jobs and very long hours to feed our family. I do not remember ever being hungry or feeling like we had nothing, but I do remember knowing and realizing that times were tough. Our circumstances being what they were, my first memory of true compassionate service was on the receiving end."

"Late one evening, there was a knock at our door about a week before Christmas. Dad opened the door, with four curious little girls trailing behind him. When we peeked outside, we saw a very large box but no visitors. It was to heavy for my dad to carry in, so we opened it on the front porch. Inside were four of the most beautiful homemade dolls I had ever seen, and one of them had my name on it. The box was filled with gifts, most of them wrapped, except for the dolls. I remember the joy I felt at this surprise. I wrapped my new doll in my arms, I loved her at first sight. I remember the tears in my parents' eyes. We placed the wrapped gifts carefully around the tree and all sat down together in the front room. My parents expressed there gratitude for the gifts and for the anonymous gift givers and encouraged us to do the same. I remember feeling like they must have been very nice people that magically knew that we had nothing for Christmas. And even as a little child, wondering who would take so much time and effort to give our family these gifts for FREE! And then knowing it had to be someone who loved and cared for us very much . . . and then wondering if they were angels."

"We had more experiences like that growing up, but this particular one made a big impression on me. I wanted to do for others what had been done for me. Knowing how much these “angels” helped me and the joy they brought into my life, I knew I wanted to do that for someone else. Through the years I have gained a strong desire to serve. I have had wonderful examples through out my life that have fueled this fire within me. Loving parents, grandparents, school teachers, and church leaders have all played a role. They taught me gratitude. To look around me and see the beauty, to count my blessings, and then to quickly share them. I have learned that small things, can have a giant ripple effect and change lives. I know I am happier when I am serving others instead of being engulfed in myself or feeling sorry for myself. I believe it is the perfect cure in both of those circumstances."

"In a more recent experience, I have again had the opportunity to be on the receiving end, that has inspired one of our projects at Serving With Smiles. In March of this year, I delivered a still born baby girl. Amiss all the many other emotions and feelings I do remember having some anxiety about what we would bury our little girl in and what would we even hold her with, since we brought no baby blankets with us to the hospital. The situation was all so sudden and we had no time to plan. As soon as she came, the nurse handed me a precious tiny pink blanket and a small little wrap for her tiny body. Where had these items come from? Again I thought…..was it angels? Yes it was and the angels can be any one of us if we choose. Someone had taken a little piece of their time, made those blankets for someone else like me who needed them, and donated them to the hospital. This experience opened my eyes even more to the way I wanted to live my life. We now teach children ages 10 and up at Serving with Smiles to sew preemie and stillborn blankets to donate to hospitals locally and around the world."

"I love to serve. I do it as much as I can, and I try to teach my five beautiful children as much as I can. No matter where I live there are always people in need. I feel a responsibility to do my best, to seek them out near and far, that my family and I and this rising generation might be angels to them."