That elusive smile. It’s something that’s hard to come by, especially at work. There’s one woman who’s made it her mission to put a smile on the faces of the people she works with. Meet Mrs. Gennie Thibodeaux. She’s been a fixture at the front desk at Wynhoven apartments for years, but many don’t know what’s been going on behind the scenes. Her job is more than redirecting mail or answering the telephone. She’s made it her job, to bring happiness to others.







“It started years ago, there were 2 maintenance men and me. I noticed they were dragging, so I bought some chocolate candy. It perked them up,” says Mrs. Gennie, “It put a smile on their face.”
It didn’t stop with candy. People wanted something salty. So Mrs. Gennie sprung to action. Enter the chips, crackers and peanuts. Then there’s the coffee, creamer and sugar… and the frozen pancakes and Jimmy Dean sausages, turkey sausage is also available. Oh, and don’t forget the boiled eggs! Boiled eggs?? Jeffrey, one of the maintenance men at Wynhoven, says he loves Mrs. Gennie’s boiled eggs.

Lunch you say?
Well, there’s that too. Mrs. Gennie says, She stocks the break room with bread and sandwich meats too! Don’t forget the fruit, there’s that too. All free of charge, unless you consider smiles payment.






As for why she does it? She says, “It makes me feel good too, some days are tough. Sometimes you need a munchie to get through.”
For years Mrs. Gennie has done this quietly. Feeding those around her. Having lunch and breakfast with co-workers turned best of friends. She didn’t want the recognition, saying she doesn’t “deserve it”. Well if a smile is worth a thousand words, then you Mrs. Gennie, deserve millions of words of recognition.

If more people thought like Mrs. Gennie, “just a munchie to get through.” A smile could appear on the face of a co-worker or stranger, because as Mrs. Gennie says, “some days are tough.”