Dara Maxwell runs a fast-growing army in Horry County to help strangers fight a battle they’re facing, and their weapon of choice is a simple smile.
“It’s a funny story,” Maxwell said explaining how the popular initiative began.
She said she was experimenting with the social media platform, TikTok, and posted something that she wants to be the reason someone smiles. Another person posted a comment saying that she should start an army of smiles.
“At 11:30 at night, I wrote a silly logo with a pencil, and a piece of paper, that I never thought would see the light of day,” she said.
Now, it’s a logo that’s known by more than 80,000 followers on her page, and it’s tattooed on her wrist, as well as 16 other people that she knows of.
It’s also the center point of a card she created, to remind people the importance of a smile.
“’This card is being given to you to remind how you make others smile. Keep this card close and let it remind you of the day a stranger chose you to receive it,’” Maxwell said, reading the card.
“’Promise this though: you will pass this card onto a stranger who needs a reminder just like you once did.’ And that’s all it was!” she said looking up from the card. “I literally had people break down in tears when I’ve handed them this card.”
Now, she spreads them across Horry County, and anywhere else she visits.
“I sat down one day and I budgeted, and it wasn’t all that cheap, but definitely worth it, and I had 1,000 of them printed,” she said.
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I do have a story about a girl I met at a BBQ place, and I’m going to be vague about it for her anonymity, but she came in the live the next day and said you literally saved me, I was in the worst place possible when you found me yesterday.
Those moments remind Maxwell of the power behind our words, and actions.
“I’m not so insane to think that if I smile at you, your health is better, or your financial status is better, or whatever is paining during the day, but I do genuinely believe that we have positive everywhere. Even if it’s really small and we have to work for it,” she said.
“I don’t understand why that’s not part of our day-to-day conversation.”
More people are making it more of their daily conversations, though, as the cards and her video posts continue to grow the ‘Smile Army.’
“My goal, if I’m being selfish and honest, is I want someone to hand this card back to me and have no idea that it started with me.”
She said she’s proud to say that even internet ‘trolls,’ or people who leave negative comments have also become part of the army.
“I won’t let people block them, I won’t let people yell at them. I want to know what happened, and why you thought it was okay to leave that comment. Let’s talk through it,” Maxwell said.
“One of the things that I am most proud of, is that we have turned about 50% of those trolls into friends.”
She said she understands relationships with social media can be dangerous, so she makes a constant effort to have open conversations with her children.
“I don’t want my children thinking how many followers I have is defining who I am as a person, because it’s not,” she said.
What that number however does mean to me, is they press that button once, that means I made them smile once.
She said part of a healthy social media relationship is also using the large audience for good. She works with accounts TacoReacts, PapiTacos, Sweettartsss, to find ways to give back.
Through Christmas, she’s doing an online drive with toys for children in need, and winter clothes and supplies for a women’s shelter.
Anyone wishing to help with those drives can click here.
She said any money that comes into her page as a gift goes into a bank account that she named ‘The Smile Army,’ and after paying taxes on them, she finds a way to use that money to help people in need.