Our Story
Our founder, Duane Peer, faced many challenges as a child and young adult. He bounced back and forth between family and foster homes. He ventured out on his own at the age of 15 and struggled, but survived.
As a young adult, Duane fathered a baby girl (Brandy Nicole now known as Emily) that was born with Down syndrome. Due to the young age of the parents and their inability to support the many needs of a baby with Down syndrome they wisely made the difficult decision to allow her to be adopted. She was blessed to be adopted by the Murphy family in Morrow, GA. They are a very warm and loving family that has opened their hearts and home to 23 special needs children.
Emily (Brandy) with John & Jeannette Murphys
Duane had the opportunity to meet with them and spend time with Emily, his daughter. He saw the challenges that this large family encountered on a daily basis. After this experience Duane was inspired to create Happy Face Kids Charity to help families like the Murphys and children like Emily.