Today, we’d like to introduce you to Denetra Smiley.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Smiley Connections, LLC was started in 2023, after starting the Parents That Have Lost a Child/Children Support Group in 2021.
I started the group after losing my son, DeAndre Thompson, to Osteosarcoma Cancer in 2018. I needed an outlet, but I wasn’t sure what I needed, so I wanted to find others who were experiencing the same thing. It all was confusing, emotionally hurtful, and heartbreaking. I just knew there had to be someone else out there who was experiencing what I was going through.
I started this company to expand more on the loss of a child and all it entails: real-life experiences and the challenges parents and families face after the loss of a child. My goal is to help put smiles back on families’ faces and help them through their journeys as we all find healthy ways to heal.
Today, my group has 289 members, and we’re family there. We support one another with encouragement and some prayers. Although we pray for one another, I don’t push religion because I want to welcome everyone. The death of a child is something that has affected not just religious people but millions of parents from all backgrounds.
All are welcome. It’s a small group of 289, but I prefer small and personable. It’s a very safe space, and I don’t allow just anyone to join. Link to Parents That Have Lost a Child/Children Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/431518951290676/?ref=share_group_link.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road? If not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
So far, Smiley Connections LLC has had an okay start. I am new to the business world, and it’s hard to find funding for my projects. I have done crowdfunding, but that hasn’t been a complete success.
I have a target goal of $10,000, for my first ever, On The Road to Healing Retreat. The funding will be used to have the retreat and pay for the majority of the family’s accommodations, food, activities, and all the expenses needed at the retreat (each year).
The retreat will be where families come together and enjoy nature, arts of different calibers. Families will have 4 days 3 nights of walking through their journeys in a healthy way.
I also would like to have a professional life coach present each year along with other health professionals to help with resources for mental health and different types of traumas experienced in grief. I want to be able to pay for these professional services with stipends.
So, a smooth road is a long way from here if anyone wants to donate to the retreat: https://gofund.me/06705653.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Besides being a mother, grandmother of five, and wife, I work in Healthcare, helping patients get authorizations to see specialists and get the proper care they need.
Parents That Have Lost a Child/Children Support Group is my baby. I work really hard to make sure I keep my group safe, while the parents share their most precious gifts with me, their angels.
I am also currently for the first time in my life, pushing a Bill in the state of Georgia called DeAndre Thompson Parental Bereavement Protection Act, named after my son in honor of him. This bill is waiting for votes and approval for the 2025 election year. Fingers crossed.
The bill mandates better Bereavement Leave for parents who lose children. It gives them more than the three to four days off, it gives 10 additional days plus Extended Compassionate Leave for four weeks, for families to receive additional mental health treatments.
I have pushed for this change for the last two years, and it’s getting closer and closer to passing. I have spoken with a few Representatives who are willing to support the bill, so I’m excited to see the end results. I am very proud of the progress.
I have a petition on change.org asking everyone to sign that goes into details about the bill and calls for Representatives in Georgia to help. Make that change. https://chng.it/TkrkKVQfKp.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
My peace. It’s so hard to get that nowadays after the loss of a child. I have to find ways to keep my mental health intact. After losing my son in 2018, I was diagnosed with PTSD, depression, and anxiety, so my mind is constantly thinking about DeAndre.
I struggle some days to get out of bed, but I know that I have to; my family needs me.
Contact Info:
- Website: Smileyconnectionsllc.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smileyconnections
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/431518951290676/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denetra-smiley-ceo-b70a24b6/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@smileyconnectionsllc
