Do you remember the feeling of waking up on Christmas day and discovering a mountain of gifts waiting for you? I´s an indescribable feeling and everyone deserves to have it! Keep reading and find the joy that lies behind every selfless act.
The thrill of receiving and the joy of sharing
Sometimes even the emotion of the night before Christmas can overcome you with excitement making you too excited to sleep and tempted to open just a corner of the wrapper to discover what Santa has brought for you!
Experiencing the joy of sharing is something that reinforces the value of solidarity, and it is such an exciting feeling. That important value is one of the proper functions of society.
The importance of thanking
We hope that this is the case, and everyone is lucky enough to have had this feeling! Remember, it’s those memories that rejoice the soul, just like a hot drink on rainy days, but it’s also about remembering that you are lucky and grateful for having had not only family, a roof, and food, but for those gifts that were large or small!
It’s easy that between so much stress, work, and responsibilities, we can sometimes forget that those happy memories still exist. But as we get caught in the joys AND stresses of our lives, we perhaps forget that there are others living without the basic necessities of life. Perhaps that other is a 4-year-old child who does not yet understand the difficulties they face and the sacrifices their parents make just to put food on the table, or to pay for clothes and education. Now imagine a gift during the holidays.
That is why in 2016, Sandos Hotels, through the Sandos Foundation, set out to surprise hundreds of children from Mayan communities and other vulnerable places with the mission to spread joy and share their fortunes. Through every toy given was returned in the most beautiful form of payment, an ear to ear smile full of love!
The jewel of giving “More than a Smile”
Have you ever felt that satisfaction that comes right after giving back to those in need? To know that through your actions and decisions, you managed to create a moment of joy and gratitude. That is the jewel of giving; it’s an exchange of empathetic emotion without the intent of receiving anything back in return!
And as the name of the campaign “More than a Smile” says, this whole exchange has a much deeper meaning! Not only do the children who receive the gifts benefit, but as of last year, we wanted to give something with even greater meaning, and that is a toy built in a sustainable way.
Plastic-Free Toys
That means not only are the toys purchased 100% Mexican but that they are 100% plastic-free. Yes! By making a donation during this campaign, not only children in vulnerable situations benefit but also the local economy WHILE CARING FOR THE PLANET.
And to put the cherry on top, for each donated toy Sandos Hotels & Resorts will match each donation. So to summarize, if you decide to join the cause:
- You will provoke a smile on the child who receives your gift.
- You will help the local economy by buying toys made in Mexico by Mexican hands.
- You will take care of the planet by being part of a 100% plastic-free gift.
- Your gift will be multiplied by two.
And that’s why donating a toy through the Sandos Foundation is so powerful! #MoreThanASmile
How to Help
If you wish to make your donation, you can make it through the Sandos Foundation website or physically at the reception of each of the Sandos hotels in Mexico. The donation can be made through a cash donation, you are then given stickers (decals), with those you must paste on the little trains that you will find in the lobby of each hotel. Each sticker is equivalent to a toy, and for each toy that is donated, Sandos Hotels & Resorts puts another toy, which will be delivered on the next Kings Day (January 6, 2020) in the Mayan communities and other vulnerable areas of Playa del Carmen and its surroundings.
In addition, this year, we allied with Juguetón Azteca, who will transmit all the deliveries through their channels, and if we reach the goal of 1,000 toys, it will be transmitted nationwide! We are so excited as we know that if more people find out about this campaign, next year many more children will have a reason to smile.
Finally, we want to thank you for reading, and we hope to have inspired you to give More Than A Smile with Sandos Foundation, happy holidays, and we hope to see you soon!