Social Impact & Volunteering

HP Brings Hope and Smiles to Children and Families Finding Strength at Select Ronald McDonald Houses

eSmiles program raises funds for participating houses through the magic of HP ePrint
Feb 16, 2012 9:05 AM ET
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(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) Palo Alto, CA - February 16, 2012 - HP today launched eSmiles, a project that will use HP ePrint technology to build financial and emotional support for children and their families staying at participating Ronald McDonald Houses®.

Ronald McDonald Houses are dedicated to supporting families with a home away from home while their children receive much needed medical care at a nearby hospital.   eSmiles can take the form of “get well” letters, personalized photos, cards, cartoons, sketches or jokes to make children and their families laugh and smile during a time when children are going through frightening medical treatments.   An eSmile message is sent the same way as an email but, through the power of HP ePrint technology, the message is delivered as a printed page through an HP ePrint-enabled printer in the chosen Ronald McDonald House. Virtually anyone in the world can send an eSmile to a child from their computer or mobile device.(1)   For every person who sends an eSmile between Feb. 14 and April 15, HP will donate $1 to participating Ronald McDonald Houses, up to $10,000 per house. Participants can select a Ronald McDonald House and ePrint their eSmile by visiting www.hpesmiles.com, or they can ePrint an eSmile directly from their mobile phones.   “The eSmiles initiative will help lift our families’ spirits by bringing support from well-wishers around the world into San Diego’s Ronald McDonald House,” said Chuck Day, president and chief executive officer, Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego. “HP’s generous donation will enable us to continue to provide a welcoming home away from home for families with a child facing a medical crisis.”   Ronald McDonald Houses participating in the eSmiles program include those in Atlanta, Chicago and Northwest Indiana, New York, Orange County, Calif., and San Diego.   “The eSmiles program demonstrates how HP ePrint technology makes it possible for people to quickly and easily connect with one another from all corners of the globe, through the power of print,” said Manny Kostas, senior vice president, Worldwide Marketing and Strategy, HP. “HP ePrint enables well-wishers to send messages of hope and cheer directly to an HP printer in a participating Ronald McDonald House as easily as sending an email.”   How to participate Individuals wishing to send an eSmile and spread the word about the project can do so through the following channels:

Follow @HPPrint and raise more funds for participating Ronald McDonald Houses by alerting Twitter followers using the hashtag #hpesmiles.

  Join the conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hp.   Learn more about eSmiles on YouTube: http://youtu.be/NwB_8-n-eY8.   About HP HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.   (1) Requires an internet connection and/or email access.   HP21164