One of my earliest memories is going to the Hallmark store with my mom. I was the youngest in the family, and after we dropped my siblings off at school, it was time to run our errands. Friday morning was Minnie\u2019s Hallmark, the beauty parlor and the grocery. I loved going to Minnie\u2019s. So many cards! I was mesmerized, and I guess that was a good thing, as I remember mom meticulously taking the time to read each card she had on her list that week, whether it was a birthday card, a get well card or a sympathy card. I always thought, wouldn\u2019t it be cool if I owned a Hallmark store someday and could help make people happy, just like Minnie did with my mom and others?<\/p>\n
Along came college, and where do you think I went to get my first part time job? I went where I\u2019d be most at home; to the Hallmark store in the mall, Lynn\u2019s Hallmark at Lenox Square in Atlanta. It was a natural fit. But college led me to a career in retail banking. There I sharpened my customer service skills, learned financial statements and cash flow analysis.<\/p>\n
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I caught an entrepreneurial bug from my clients. I wanted to own my own business. And that\u2019s when my dad called. Sally\u2019s Hallmark store in Madeira Beach was for sale, and I should buy it. After lots of research, many phone calls and lots of coaching from my dad, we struck a deal, and at 28 years old, my husband, David, and I bought our first business and I fulfilled a dream. On the door went my name. It was Becky\u2019s Hallmark.<\/p>\n
In the time that I owned the store, I learned the value of sending a card. I marveled at the customers who came in with their list each month. My mom wasn\u2019t the only one. They had their list of birthdays, who was sick, who had an anniversary, which grandchild had just gotten their driver\u2019s license. There was a card for everything!<\/p>\n
Often we\u2019d have older customers come in. Their vision might be poor but sending that card with just the right message was so important to them. So I\u2019d take the time and help them to select their cards. I\u2019d read one and they would nod yes or no and we made our way around the card racks until she had her list complete. I was in the business of helping people make other\u2019s lives happy. And I loved it. There\u2019s a simple joy in sending a card and I was bit by that bug.<\/p>\n
Years passed and baby #2 came along. We were on the verge of an economic downturn and I was ready to be a stay at home mom for a few years. So we sold Becky\u2019s Hallmark to another local store owner.<\/p>\n
But the entrepreneurial bug had been planted in me and my desire to do good and help others do the same. So in 2014, it was a natural fit for me and David to start another business. And so began Assisting Hands Home Care Pinellas. We were in the business of helping match seniors with an aide who could help them with their daily activities so that they can stay happy and healthy at home.<\/p>\n
And now we face a new crisis. We have seniors sitting at home, alone and worried. We have seniors sitting in Assisted Livings and Skilled Nursing Facilities who haven\u2019t seen family or friends in a month. Wouldn\u2019t be amazing if we could send each a card? So that\u2019s what my kids and I have been doing, making cards and taking them to lonely seniors.<\/p>\n
Want to help us put a smile on the face of a senior? Send a card to someone you know today. And if you want to help us, we are looking for people to make cards. I\u2019ll make sure they are delivered to senior care facilities right here in Pinellas County.<\/p>\n