OKEECHOBEE — Bringing smiles to others comes naturally to Ron Tyson, who was born and raised in Okeechobee, and is now lending his grin to Lay’s potato chips for their Operation Smile.

According to the Lay’s Company, “While shoppers’ smiles are currently hidden behind their masks, they’ll soon spot plenty of friendly faces in the snack aisle thanks to Lay’s, which is converting millions of potato chip bags to feature the real smiles of 30 ‘ordinary’ people doing extraordinary things in their communities.”

The Lay’s Company chose 30 “smilers” who are affecting their community in some way, through helping the homeless, veterans, youth, seniors, or more bringing smiles to the faces of those they assist.

This is the third year the company has had Lay’s Smiles bags in the stores, but it is the first year the photos on the bags were created using CGI (computer graphic interface) technology. Due to concerns about COVID-19, the company sought a safer way to create the bags without potentially endangering anyone. On each bag is a QR code that can be scanned in order to access the full story of the smiler on the bag.

For the third year in a row, the Smile with Lay’s campaign directly benefits Operation Smile, an international medical charity that provides access to safe surgical care to those who have cleft conditions.

“The Smile with Lay’s program reflects the true power of how a smile can change the world, beginning with the one-on-one interaction you may have with a stranger to the life-changing surgeries and resources Operation Smile is able to provide thanks to our committed staff, generous donors, medical volunteers and longtime partners like Lay’s,” said Kristie Magee Porcaro, chief strategy & partnerships officer for Operation Smile.

Our hometown smiler’s story began while he was visiting his grandmother, Lola Mae, in the nursing home. Tyson noticed that many of the nursing home residents did not have regular visitors or even receive cards or gifts in the mail, and he vowed to do something about that. Tyson was born and raised in Okeechobee and graduated from Okeechobee High School in 1980. His grandmother entered the Okeechobee Healthcare Facility about six years ago with dementia and passed away about three years later. During his visits, Tyson said he was struck by how many of the residents did not have visitors, cards or any contact from outside the facility at all, and this broke his heart.

In March 2016, he founded a nonprofit called Bring Smiles to Seniors. They work with schools, civic groups and companies to make and decorate greeting cards that are delivered to nursing homes, assisted living facilities, seniors in elderly nutrition programs and those who are homebound. Last year they delivered over 40,000 cards to senior communities in all 50 states.

Their mission statement is, “We strive to connect the circle of life by working with schools, civic organizations and employers to decorate cards for seniors in nursing homes, assisted and independent living communities, and those that are homebound or participating in elderly nutrition programs. Our team hopes to help younger generations understand the importance of remembering the ones who paved the way for us, while reminding seniors that they are cared for and not forgotten.”

He also does a weekly podcast called “Mornings with Ron” that provoke thought, inspire the heart and provide food for the soul. The podcasts vary from “The Door is Always Open” to “Making the Most of Our Life’s Minutes” to “Taking Care of Others.”

“At Bring Smiles to Seniors, we serve seniors across the country. These services are designed to let seniors know that they are not forgotten and to bring a smile to their face by providing them greeting cards that are made and decorated by individuals all over the country. Our organization collects donations for supplies such as stamps, stickers and postage, as well as greeting cards that we work with schools, civic organizations and employers to decorate,” said Tyson. He said there are many seniors who feel alone and unloved, maybe because they no longer have family living or they have just been abandoned by those they once cared for. Bring Smiles to Seniors is trying to remedy this situation by reaching out to these lonely people. They receive donated cards from all over the country and in some cases, he said, even farther!

If you would like to volunteer, you can reach them on their website bringsmilestoseniors.com/contact-us or by mail to:

Tyson has written a book entitled Mornings with Ron, messages to provoke thoughts, inspire the heart and feed the soul. It is available on the website or on Amazon.