Welcome to The Caring Coins!
I Matter…You Matter…
You Matter Simply Because You are You!
The Vermont-crafted Caring Coins are simple, tangible reminders of a caring connection, which gives comfort and hope as a reminder that we are not alone, someone cares. Over 175,000 Caring Coins have been shared by children with children and adults with adults, with our troops, survivors of disasters and many people struggling here at home and around the world!
In our unsettled world we may wonder if we can make a difference…
The good news is … We can make a difference … one person at a time.
“We are all in this together…”
This song by Joseph Wooten, of the Steve Miller Band, reminds each of us that we are part of the human family. As we respect ourselves, we are better able to respect each other. As we face the challenges in our lives, we can better understand what someone else may be facing in their life.
Take a moment to stop, take a deep breath and remind yourselves and each other that each one of us matters. Each of us can make a difference in our world with a simple act of caring starting with a smile, a wave, a hug, a text or a Caring Coin.
Caring is Contagious!!!
Did You Know?
The very biggest, best gift we can give to anyone is the gift of ourselves…
…whether it’s our spouse, partner, children, parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, friends or perhaps someone we haven’t met yet.
Simple acts of caring change our world. Caring is Contagious!!!
It’s as simple as:
spending time with your loved ones
saying a kind word to someone who looks up to you
giving someone a hug
saying “I love you” to your loved ones
really listening and hearing what someone has to tell you
sharing a smile, a wave, or a loving text with someone
Each of these simple acts of caring make a caring connection. A caring connection that gives the gift of hope…Hope can change our world.
Worldwide I Matter, You Matter Day was celebrated by thousands around the world.
Here are just three of the many responses to
I Matter, You Matter Day:
“I Matter, You Matter” was a great day here at Calcutt Middle School, from the very beginning to the very end of the day. As students entered the school building and walked down the halls they were greeted with bright and cheerful projections of the “I Matter, You Matter” poster, or they saw other signs with encouraging messages posted all around the school building. The posters and projections encouraged a lot discussions and excitement to start the morning off right. In homerooms and small groups teachers and students discussed the “I Matter, You Matter” bookmark questions. Students were later given their I Matter,You Matter Caring Coins to wear or to share. Thank you for encouraging this great gift of kindness.
—Calcutt Middle School, Central Falls RI
I Matter,You Matter! Thank you for starting this wonderful initiative Thank you so much for thinking of us today. The children (even our young ones) were preparing for today by deciding their favorite ways to show people they care and doing a countdown this week. We did a school wide survey on our morning white board. I wish I had taken a photo! I took a photo of our white board today and have attached it to this email.
—Northshire Day School, Manchester, VT
I Matter, You Matter! Thank you so much! I have to tell you this day makes us so happy! The messages carried throughout the building and I had notes sent to me about wanting more of this! How can it get any better than that!?!??! You are so inspirational for starting such a campaign with the coins. I am hoping that others took pictures that I will send you.
—Spaulding High School, Barre, VT
Let’s continue to remind ourselves and each other that each one of us matters. We can make a difference one person at a time!
Caring Coins are shared at the Veterans Memorial School’s SPARK Program in Providence Rhode Island!
Students at Veterans Memorial School’s SPARK Program listen as Salley Gibney shares about the “I Matter, You Matter” Program. Each student received two Caring Coins…one to keep and one to share. The students will be sharing Caring Coins with seniors at a local senior center. Caring is Contagious! Thank you Ms. Diane Russell for inviting the Caring Coins to Veterans Memorial SPARK Program.
Caring Day at MEMS, Manchester, VT
On Friday, April 13, the MEMS (Manchester Elementary and Middle School in Manchester, Vermont) community came together for Caring Day. It began with an assembly where the fifth graders presented information about compassion and kindness and celebrated locals for their compassionate acts. Through The Compassionate Faces of the Shires Project, locals were interviewed by students. They then created a poster highlighting them, which was displayed in the Manchester Community Library for a week. At the end of the assembly, all MEMS community members went through lines to receive a high five or a hug. They also given a sticky note to leave a kind message for someone and a Caring Coin to keep or give. Salley Gibney’s story about the Caring Coins was shared, The important message of being cared for and caring for others was shared in MEMS Pre-K through grade 8 building and our greater community.
Salley Gibney and other volunteers personally shared over 3000 Caring Coins—with cards signed by school kids and adults in Vermont—with adults and children in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico.
These little Caring Coins are gifts of hope.
1500 Caring Coins were received in Puerto Rico with gratitude and hope.
On December 26th my family went to San Juan, Puerto Rico, not knowing what to expect following the devastation of hurricanes Irma and Maria. What we found were amazing people with open hearts and a resilience that is an inspiration to us all. We stayed at Marriott Isla Verde Beach Resort in San Juan where we met many people who despite the fact that they and their families were without electricity and some without water for over 100 days were filled with optimism and hope. When asked how they were surviving, they replied “We do what we have to do…we have candles and flashlights”. We also met First Responders from Massachusetts and FEMA workers from Utah, who were away from their families but here to help with the recovery effort.
We shared Caring Coins with the cards signed by children and adults in Vermont to remind them they are not alone with them. The smiles, hugs and some tears reinforced to me how much a simple act of caring can turn someone’s day around, not only the person receiving the caring but also the one giving it. There are no words to express how much a simple little reminder of caring means to another human being.
A special thank you to Ariana Ramirez, who introduced me to Pastor Lizbeth Guidini, who invited our family to attend a beautiful and inspirational Sunday Service at El Sendero De La Cruz. Pastor Lizbeth and her Congregation have been sharing the Caring Coins with cards signed by children and adults in Vermont with families in Puerto Rico. The Caring Coins remind the children and adults in Puerto Rico they are not alone. They are little “gifts of hope”.
Thank you to all signed the cards and assembled over 1500 Caring Coins for Puerto Rico. Most of all thank you to our new friends in Puerto Rico and beyond who remind us that together we can survive anything…We are all part of the human family…We are all in this together.
Thank you all who signed cards and assembled Caring Coins for the survivors of Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
You Can Share Caring Coins
The wooden Caring Coin with the messages You are never alone and You Matter is a simple, tangible reminder of a caring connection which gives a feeling of comfort, belonging, and hope. It’s something to take with us always.
If you would like to start your own Caring Coin project, Caring Coins are available for purchase by contacting Maple Landmark Woodcraft, in Middlebury, Vermont, where each coin is handcrafted.
Maple Landmark Woodcraft
1297 Exchange Street
Middlebury, VT 05753
1-800-421-4223
Use Online Contact Form
About the Caring Coins
Meet Salley Gibney
Salley Gibney has worn many hats as a wife, mother, Grammy, registered nurse, entrepreneur, community volunteer and host of a local cable TV Show at GNAT-TV in Vermont for the past 10 years. Throughout her life experiences, Salley has realized the importance of a personal caring connection, of knowing someone cares and the hope that comes with each caring connection.
The Caring Coins came in a dream Salley had about 14 years ago about a wooden coin. The dream led to the creation of the wooden Caring Coin. At first, Salley randomly shared the coins with others who warmly accepted this caring message. The great response to the coins and their message led to the formation of the You Are Never Alone Foundation (YANAF), a Vermont grassroots 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that fostered caring, connection and hope and the message that each person matters.
Although YANAF has been dissolved, Salley continues to share the Caring Coins and their message. To learn more about how Salley shares this message, contact her at info@thecaringcoins.com
More About the Caring Coins
The Caring Coins began with a dream.
One night Salley Gibney had a dream…”I dreamed about a coin. This coin was made of wood and was engraved with the image of an angel and the message “You are never alone”. At first, I thought this was a wonderful message to share with others. It wasn’t until sometime later that I realized that this message was also meant for me. Although I had a caring family and friends, I was feeling alone as I faced some challenges in my life.”
Initially, Salley shared the Caring Coins randomly with individuals, then with Vermont troops heading to Iraq, survivors of hurricane Katrina and other disasters and individuals as tangible reminders that someone cares, and each person matters.
In 1997 Salley founded the You Are Never Alone Foundation, a Vermont 501 (c) (3) non-profit, non-denominational organization that fostered caring, connection and hope and the messages You are never alone and I Matter, You Matter with children, youth and people of all ages around the world. These messages are universal and so important in our world today. Although YANAF has been dissolved, Salley continues to share the Caring Coins and their message.
Through the years, over 175,000 Caring Coins have been shared with children, youth, adults of all ages here and around the world. Salley frequently hears from individuals what the Caring Coin means to them.