We are in this business to foster the receiving of the absolute best present in the world--the one gift your family, loved ones, friends and co-workers want most--your recognition, appreciation, love, and respect. This is your opportunity to celebrate people you care about.
Who started this ...
Joan Breiner and Susyn Reeve founded
CelebrateAHero.com and www.self-esteem-experts.com.
Both are successful entrepreneurs and best friends. Both women knew from first
hand experience not only how difficult it was to make a memory book but
also how gratifying it was to receive one. Collecting entries and
contributions from family and friends who were spread out across the
country was so difficult they decided there had to be a better way.
Research soon revealed that no easy solution existed in printed or
electronic form. CelebrateAHero.com was formed to fill those gaps.
Their story ...
It all started in when Joan Breiner was about to turn 50. To celebrate,
she and her husband invited 22 friends and family to a resort for her
birthday. Susyn Reeve, one of Joan's closest friends, wanted to
make the event very special for Joan. Joan had always been there for
Susyn, through good times and bad, so Susyn decided she would give her
the "best present anyone could think of..." She decided to give Joan
a book, with personal tributes and messages from everyone who came to the
party.
Creating such a book turned out to be a challenge. Working furiously at
her computer and the local copy store, Susyn created its pages, complete
with appropriate graphics. After acquiring special paper and a suitable
cover, she spent hours duplicating, pasting, arranging, laminating and
assembling the book. Now everyone would be able to tell Joan, in their
own words, why she was special to them. To aid guests who might not know
how to begin their entries, Susyn incorporated leading statements at the
top of each page: "My birthday wish for Joan is", "When I think of Joan I", "My funniest experience with Joan
was", and "What Joan has taught me is". When she
presented the journal to Joan, Susyn knew she had done the right thing.
For Joan, receiving the book was a powerful, positive and life-renewing
experience, and Joan understood immediately that Susyn and her other
friends had given her--in written form--what every human being
wants most: love, recognition and appreciation. At that moment she had
a vision: "Everyone in the world should have a book like this.- It
makes people feel special."
Knowing the value of receiving such a book, Joan wanted to give the
same present back to Susyn for Susyn's 50th. She asked Susyn for a list
of her friends who should to contribute to the book. They included 35
people who were spread out across the country. Many of these people would
not be at Susyn's party. Then the idea came to Joan: the Internet would be
the perfect way to gather everyone's comments.
Hence CelebrateAHero.com was born!
