TOFA - TOKEN OF APPRECIATION

Jo Englesson, heir to Swedish furniture manufacturer, Englesson.com, announced the launch of TOFA, a Token of Appreciation, on Thursday, June 26, 2008. Dedication of the first "Giving Year" began at noon, exactly one year from the idea's inception. TOFA was inspired on June 26, 2007 when Jo Englesson, not paying attention, plowed into Don Warms while traveling through an airport, nearly knocking them both to the ground. After assuring Jo he was not angry or hurt, the octogenarian joked with E... nglesson that she probably did it all the time. Relieved, Englesson said goodbye and watched Mr. Warms walking away, all the while searching her pockets for something she could give the gentleman as a token of her appreciation for his kindness. Realizing she had nothing to give him, she began to form an idea to create something that would encapsulate gratitude. "What if I had a token that had the power to thank someone for what they did or said to make a difference? A token that said it all," says Englesson, a soft-spoken, Swedish blonde who received her education as an economist from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. "What if I could change the world one connection at a time? That day, TOFA was born. TOFA's strength lies in the Token Tracking System. Once given, the coins can be passed along to individuals as appreciation and may be tracked online via their unique serial numbers at TOFA's website, www.tofa.us. At the dedication on June 26th, Don Warms received the Number 1 TOFA coin cast in silver and became the first Honorary VIP Member for Life. This also initiated the first "Giving Year," where Englesson has documented her experience of giving one token a day for 365 days — inspiring others to see the value of gratitude and begin their own "Giving Year." TOFA's goal is to generate a social awareness conversation in the world through daily connections via the tokens and the website. TOFA aims to have 1,000,000 tokens in circulation by December 2012.More