Teen turns mental health struggles into positive message through his clothing brand

By Stephanie Stahl, Brad Nau

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — A Philadelphia teenager who has overcome mental health issues is promoting emotional wellness with his clothing brand.

Smiley faces have been a salvation for 18-year-old Sammy Grossman.

“It’s the number one way to speak without speaking,” Grossman said.

For years his smile was overtaken by depression and anxiety.

“School was definitely difficult. It was hard for me to connect with my peers and get through the day,” Grossman said.

He said therapy helped but the big turnaround came with his creation of Project Spread Smiles.

It’s a clothing brand featuring Grossman’s smiley face with one eye that’s shaped like a semicolon.

“The meaning behind the semicolon is that you could have given up but you kept on going. You didn’t end up with a period but a comma to keep on going in life,” Grossman said.

“It’s just so amazing, especially after seeing you know the really dark days that he went through,” Alison Grossman, Sammy’s mother said.

Alison and Craig Grossman are relieved and proud to see his darkness now turned into an uplifting message.

“He’s not embarrassed to say that he had struggles and he wants to use that in a positive way,” Alison Grossman said.

“It’s been a great process and watching him during that journey has been extremely rewarding,” Craig Grossman said.

Sammy Grossman’s smiley face is green the color for mental health awareness.

And the back of his hoodie has this message, “Hey, to the person behind me… you look great today! Keep smiling.”

Rebounding with hope and strength, this high school senior is sharing the power of a smile to help himself and others.

Sammy Grossman, who’s deciding on colleges now says he hopes to expand his business, Project Spread Smiles, to include more products.

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