Meet Evangeline.
My name is Evangeline Vasiliadis and I am currently a third grade student in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
I truly believe something as small as a smile can make a huge difference. This is why I chose to create a platform called Operation Spreading SMILEs. Here’s how it started:
I started in a new elementary school a year ago. I was really nervous and afraid that I wouldn’t make any friends. My mom and dad always tell me to treat other people as I want to be treated, so I decided to be very kind to others hoping they would be kind to me. Well guess what? It worked! I noticed how good it made me feel to be kind to others and could tell my friends felt good about being kind too!
A few months into the school year, we got a flyer about joining “Kindness Squad” run by one of the second grade teachers in our school. I couldn’t wait to join! I loved being in Kindness Squad even more than I thought I would. When the school year ended, I didn’t want that to be the end of my kindness. I asked my mom how we could continue to spread kindness throughout our community. We sat down together and brainstormed ideas for quite some time. This is where the idea to start this community service platform called "Operation Spreading SMILEs" came from. SMILE actually stands for things that are important to me: Small acts of kindness, Mindfulness, Integrity, Leading by example and Empowerment.
Through this platform, I want to continue to create different projects that will help put smiles on the faces of people in my community. My hope is if I can make one person smile, it will be contagious and they will make another person smile, who will make another person smile... and maybe it will catch on! My hopes and dreams are not only to continue to spread Operation Spreading SMILES throughout my community, but also throughout the country and maybe even the world!
In September of 2022, I was awarded the title of Miss Pennsylvania Tween National Teenager. This scholarship pageant is part of the national pageant system of America’s National Teenager Scholarship Organization. Their missions is to promote strong scholastic ideals, solid leadership principles and high character growth to young women. This opportunity opens even more doors for me to be able to spread kindness and continue community service projects all over my state, and hopefully the nation! You can follow my journey by clicking here.
