Since its inception in August, 2001, the Turn-A-Frown Around Foundation, Inc. (TAFA) has brought love and laughter to folks in nursing homes, psychiatric wards, and partial care programs (mental health day treatment). We offer a friendly ear to support those in need through our outreach phone service, The Unconditional LoveLive, and also make personal visits, phone calls, and e-mail contacts to those seeking help.

Our role in the community is to assist people living with psychiatric and physical disabilities who have lost hope or feel isolated and friendless, by linking them with a "forever friend" network. TAFA reaches out to isolated individuals to help them attain a sense of hope and well-being through the affirmation and recognition of caring others. A staggering 50% of nursing home residents and 75% of mental hospital patients will die without a friend. TAFA aims to change those statistics by bringing love, laughter and a listening ear to the lonely and isolated in nursing homes, mental hospitals, children's homes, etc.

Our vision is to populate the world with Smile Stations, where anyone who wants to do some visiting, friend-making or hand-holding can go, and anyone who needs a friend or visitor or hand-holder can call. It may not happen in our lifetime, but it's our vision, and we invite you to be a part of it.

An important step in the evolution of Smile Stations are our Delegations of Visitors (DOV), who go into hospitals and nursing homes. Many of the people in our DOVs are themselves former psychiatric hospital patients. We need to say it: "we're crazy enough to care."

If TAFA has a "patron of inspiration," it is Mother Teresa. Please join us in some inspiring quotes by this amazing woman.

                                                  OUR MISSION STATEMENT:

The Turn-A-Frown-Around Foundation, Inc. (TAFA) is dedicated to the assistance of those who have lost hope--especially those who suffer from psychiatric and physical disorders, lovelessness, isolation, and abuse. The Foundation is meant to be a "missionary" effort of joy, compassion, and unconditional love by giving an abundance of attention to those who are hurting in nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, group residences, children's homes, or individual shut-ins. We do this by providing an army of caregivers who bring love, laughter, and a listening ear, as well as comedy skits, songs, and testimonials. The Foundation is dedicated to make the last the first, and to motivate a growth of hope in those who lack it. Finally, the Foundation is a mental health advocacy group. We try to bring encouragement and to draw widespread public awareness of many human conditions- both to those who suffer and to those who are surrounded by this suffering.