Fordham University: Songs For Smiles

During the Fall 2010 semester, the Operation Smile Club at Fordham University held its first ever Songs for Smiles event. Featuring live performances from talented bands and individuals, tables that sold hundreds of CDs and various apparel, delicious catered food, and a raffle, the premier Songs for Smiles event was extremely successful; boasting a record-breaking attendance and raising enough money for two children to receive constructive surgery. This was also the first time that I got to really work with the whole club on a project, and because of that I felt as if I, entering the club as a freshman that didn’t really know anyone, had grown closer to my fellow members and further established myself within the club. The event was not only a profitable fundraiser, but also a bonding experience. Because of these reasons, the Fordham Operation Smile team and myself immediately and unanimously decided that hosting a second Songs for Smiles event would be a must during the Spring 2011 semester.

Like the first event, the Spring Songs for Smiles required a great deal of preparation, involvement, and dedication from everyone in the club. During one meeting months before the date of the event, myself and the rest of the club were split up into various committees, such as talent, which would recruit and organize a list of performers, and food, which would decide what food should be served at the event and then order it. As the committees began their work and found themselves closer and closer to the date of the event, we realized that we still had so much to do. Planning an on-campus event is no easy task, and while we had finally secured a location for Songs for Smiles, we still had to finalize our budget, appeal for that budget, and order party favors and the food. Consequently, our president Eliza Boggia, treasurer-to-be Linda Popowytsch, and myself spent numerous hours for the next few weeks in 408; our school’s designated office for student affairs and organizations. Here we developed and submitted our budget, chose and ordered the food and party decorations, and met with the head of student affairs to discuss various concerns. I had previously mentioned that the Senior Smile event was my most “rewarding” experience so far with the Operation Smile Club at Fordham, however the entire procedure of the second Songs for Smiles event was certainly the hardest and most difficult. While the hours spent in 408 were long, I am quite grateful for them because, in a way, they prepared me so much for the work I will be doing throughout the next few years as co-president. After this “hard part” was finished, we all grew more excited for the event, and before we knew it, it was May 4th and most of the club was congregating at 4 pm in our school atrium to commence the set up process. Once the stage had been properly set up, balloons blown up and scattered amongst the atrium, Christmas lights strewn across the ceiling and wrapped around pillars, tables decorated, and the buffet prepared, the club was in relief and was ready to enjoy the event. Throughout the night, as the nearby Empire State Building was lit up blue in honor of Operation Smile, students and guests listened to awesome live performances, decorated white t-shirts that were to be given to Operation Smile patients, browsed CDs, records, and apparel for sale, helped themselves to dinner and dessert from the buffet, and enjoyed a wonderful multi-media presentation by our president Eliza Boggia that covered her mission trip with Operation Smile to Bangladesh. Like the first Songs for Smiles, this one was extremely successful, and we raised over $1,000! Each surgery costs $240, so that’s enough to pay for at least four children to receive surgery! Fordham University has only begun to help Operation Smile by raising awareness and funds with its Songs for Smiles events, which myself and the rest of the club definitely plan to continue every semester.