Six-year-old old Jaden Hayes, who lost his father two years ago, recently suffered another bereavement when his mother tragically passed away in her sleep this month.
Despite everything he's been through, the young child from Georgia is determined to put a smile on the faces of those around him and will stop at nothing to complete the mammoth task.
Explaining the motivation behind The Smile Project, Jaden's aunt, Barbara DiCola told local news: "I was getting him ready for bed, tucking him in, and he says 'Auntie, I'm so tired of everybody with frowny faces. We need to make people smile."
Agreeing with her late sister's son, Barbara suggested he come up with a plan, revealing: "I'll be darned if that boy didn't wake me up at five in the morning with ideas."
Specifically focussing on unsmiling members of the public making their way through downtown Savannah, Jaden handed them goodie bags filled with sweets and small treats.
When asked why they were the recipient of such a touching gesture, Jaden would simply reply: "You weren't smiling. I want you to smile."
Since beginning the endeavour just two days ago, Jaden has raised a smile out of almost three hundred people, but insists he has more work to do.
Paying tribute to her incredibly courageous and admirable nephew, his proud aunt said: "If it weren't for him, I'd totally lose it. This young man has been through so much and lost so much in his life and he's worried about making other people smile."
If you want to follow Jaden's progress, check out #TheSmileExperiment on Instagram.
