Fordham University: Senior Smile Collection Event

Both retired NBA player John Salley and philanthropic financier Donald Trump Jr. slowly paced the stage of the posh Cipriani Wall Street venue, microphones in hands, as they facilitated an auction and persuaded guests to donate thousands of dollars to Operation Smile, which was hosting its annual Senior Smile event that evening on May 5^th, 2011. This was, of course, the whole point of the beautifully orchestrated event, which every year not only brings further awareness, but also millions of dollars to an amazing cause. John Salley was all too familiar with this important goal, and joked to the audience that they should “keep drinking” so that they will end up donating more than they had planned. Glamorous and, fortunately, generous guests laughed at such rehearsed jokes as they reached into their wallets and grabbed their checkbooks while others quickly filled out auction cards that had been placed throughout their tables. That was where I, along with approximately fifteen other Fordham University volunteers, came in and commenced our significant roles in the process. Our task was to record and then collect these numerous donations from our assigned tables so that they could ultimately be accounted for. Therefore, after the auction had finished and guests left their tables to leave the event or continue the celebration at the after-party, the results of the auction were put together and then organized by myself and the rest of the Fordham Operation Smile team. As usual, our founder, leader, and president Eliza Boggia took initiative and made sure that every donation was properly accounted for. “We gotta get this done, guys” was a phrase I recall hearing often. Despite the colossal number of donation cards and the seemingly infinite pages of guest lists, we finished the job, successfully recording each donation and its according patron. However, this was certainly not the only task that we tackled. Although more was asked of us at the smaller Junior Smile event, which was previously blogged about by Operation Smile Club at Boston University president James Reid, the Fordham University volunteers and myself helped assist the organization of the event and served as right hands for the head employees of the Operation Smile New York offices.

           

            Hi, my name is Daniel Dalena, and next year I will be a sophomore at Fordham University and  co-president of the school’s Operation Smile club. While I have only worked with the club for a year, I can absolutely testify that the Senior Smile event described above was the most pleasing and rewarding experience I have endured with the club so far. Behind the almost blinding glitz and glamour of the luxurious setting and guests, whom consist of the occasional celebrity, I was able to witness a monumental and wonderful moment that not only exhibits the driving force behind such non-profit charities such as Operation Smile, but also left me grinning like an idiot as I watched John Salley and Donald Trump Jr. joke on stage while simultaneously raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is the funds raised at benefits like the Senior Smile event that allow Operation Smile to forever change the lives of over 150,000 children and young adults in more than sixty countries across the globe. To take part in this event was an honor, and I am incredibly grateful and excited that I will be provided the privilege of doing so again for the next several years with the Operation Smile club at Fordham University.