Administrative Spotlight – Melissa Okray Long

Today we are featuring our Website and Facebook Team Member Melissa Okray Long. See how she is making a difference here at Icing Smiles!

Name: Melissa Okray Long
Position: Website and Facebook Team Member
Favorite Song: I have about a million favorite songs, but here are some of my top ones: Angels Among Us (Alabama), Sunshine on my Shoulders (John Denver), Sailing (Christopher Cross), Faithfully and Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey)
Favorite Movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and anything with Channing Tatum in it. (Yep, that’s totally weird to have those two things in the same sentence)
Favorite Snack: Cupcakes! There are always cupcakes at my house…ALWAYS!
Favorite Book: Anything by Maya Angelou. I’ve read a chapter from one of Maya’s books each night since I was in college. I’m pretty sure I’ve read everything she’s ever written at least a few times.
Hidden Talent: Give me 2-3 notes of any song from the 70’s, 80’s or 90’s and I can sing every word of it. Not saying I would sing it well, but I can sing it.
Favorite Quote: “I hope you did something nice for someone else today” – my dad. When I was growing up, at the end of every day, he would say that to me. He still emails me those words nearly every day, even though I’m grown!

Favorite Memory with Icing Smiles: Melissa has been with Icing Smiles since 2012. She volunteers on our Website and Facebook Teams. She lives in Minnesota with her husband, 3 sons and 1 daughter. When asked what she enjoys most in her free time she said, “I love to work on ‘Melissify-ing’ recipes (as my family likes to say). I never take a recipe and make it exactly how it says on paper! My husband and I like to go skydiving and visit theme parks when we can (always a kid at heart) and, as a family, we LOVE playing/watching hockey and exploring the beautiful parks around Minnesota!” She shares one of her favorite Icing Smiles moments, “Miss Sophia Grace Crawford (age 2) impacted my life more than her family will ever know. For a blog piece I wrote about Sophia in December 2013, I had to read about her life and what she and her family went through every day. I instantly felt a connection with Sophia’s mom, Jamie. Jamie’s Facebook and own blog posts were so raw and inspirational! Jamie made me want to be a better mother, sister, wife, friend. Even though I never had the chance to meet Sophia and her family before Sophia earned her wings, I’m grateful to Jamie for sharing her daughter’s journey with the world. Sophia, a little girl who never had the chance to walk or talk, showed me the true meaning of living life courageously.”