BU: Awareness Booth and Guest Speaker

At the beginning of December 2011, BU's club made a big last push of the semester. We went out of our way and made sure we got the best possible spot at our student union so we could host a What Makes Me Smile awareness booth. We asked students to stop by, share a what makes them smile and have them take pictures next to an Operation Smile poster. It was a simple way to get new people interested in the cause. Often tables at our student union hound students to buy something or sign up for events. We went with a different strategy to just focus on awareness. Now a bunch of students are now reppin' Op Smile in tagged pictures on Facebook--after we got them to join our club Facebook group of course!

Club treasurer Shalika Mathan and club member Jeanelle Uy share what makes them smile.

On the same day, Operation Smile hosted a guest speaker  Glenn S. Bacon, DO, FAAP, a board certified anesthesiologist, came to campus to discuss his experience as a medical professional. Educated at the US Naval Academy and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Glenn Bacon has significant experience working around the world with the US Navy and volunteering with Operation Smile. Since 1991 he has been on ten medical missions, where he worked as an anesthesiologist to assist in surgeries to correct facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates. As a member of the Operation Smile Speakers Bureau, he shared his unique first hand perspective with the organization. We worked to gain advertisement from Pre-Med Soceity, Pre-Dental Society and the Pre-Professional Offices by marketing the event as "a great opportunity to hear about how medical professionals can make a difference in the world after graduation." Consequently the event was a success and we drew in a number of new people to learn about the cause. If you're hosting a guest speaker, remember to give him or her a speakers gift as thanks. We gave our speaker a BU coffee mug and club T-shirt--a simple but effective way to express our club's appreciation for his time and efforts.