On this past November 29th, the Operation Smile Club at Fordham University held its third “Songs for Smiles” benefit; an on-campus event which features live performances by talented bands and individuals, delicious catered food, raffle giveaways, and t-shirt decorating. Like the club’s last fundraiser, which was record breaking in terms of attendance and support, this Songs for Smiles was also extremely successful. The event’s turn out was fantastic, and all of the performers were exceptionally talented. Also, this year’s raffle was a big hit. Thanks to appealing prizes donated from various businesses such as Starbucks, Apple, and Equinox, students clamored over the raffle stand where they continued to help raise funds by purchasing $1 raffle tickets. Though, of course, the fall 2011 Songs for Smiles was not merely fun and games, as I’m sure you’re all aware of how hard it is to plan and facilitate a fundraiser.
Fordham Club Members Nikki and Christina work the raffle.
Like our previous on-campus events, this fundraiser required a great deal of preparation. I had mentioned in my update for Fordham’s second Songs for Smiles event that the planning and entire procedure of the event was considered one of the “hardest” experiences endured during my first year in the club. This was certainly true this time around, especially now that our leader Eliza Boggia had graduated and it was up to myself, as her primary replacement, to carry on her legacy. Therefore I gathered all of the valuable information Eliza had taught me last year and commenced the daunting planning process for the event. At our weekly meetings, myself and the rest of the club figured out the basics such as the best possible date for the event and its location. We decided on the school’s atrium, which, as you can see in the pictures, is a beautiful glass dome like space that projects into the campus courtyard. The next step was to submit our decisions through 408, Fordham’s designated office for student affairs and organizations, in order to get everything approved. And, similarly to the preparation necessary for the past events, numerous hours were spent in 408, whether it was ordering the decorations and food, meeting with the head of student affairs, or going over our approved budget. The next step was to secure talent for the event. Fortunately, several Songs for Smiles veterans were available to perform again, and additionally, members of the club reached out to performers they knew. Consequently, there were many new performers at the event, all of which surprised and pleased the crowd with their talent. Another way in which many club members helped out was through the acquiring of raffle items. At our previous on-campus events, we had always just raffled off some of the items that we were selling at the event, such as records or t-shirts. This was the first time in which we had actually gone to nearby stores within the city to ask for donations. Luckily, our neighborhood businesses were very generous, and before we knew it, we had gotten raffle items such as $100 Bed Bath & Beyond gift cards, free movie passes, Starbucks gift cards, L’Occitane products, and more.
Everything seemed to be in place, and all of the sudden it was November 29th and the club was all gathered to set up and make the atrium all pretty and decorated for the event. Once the momentary crisis of constructing the drum set was fixed, and the space was properly set up, guests started pouring into the space. As I have previously mentioned, the turn out was fantastic, ultimately contributing to the amazing amount of money we raised. Through the suggested donations at the door and the purchasing of raffle tickets, we received $500 in cash! Then, after being combined with numerous checks from patrons, that amount quadrupled to almost $2,000. That’s enough to pay for eight children to receive surgery!
This Songs for Smiles was not only special in its profit and all around success, but also in the fact that Operation Smile student volunteers throughout the region came together to work on and attend this event. Months before the event I had met with college council member James Reid to discuss the event. It was James to put me in touch with Rose Massett, a very involved Operation Smile volunteer from Malibu who had just begun her freshman year at NYU. Rose ended up coming to our weekly club meetings and helped tremendously not only in terms of preparation for the event, but also running the event the day of. Furthermore, Samantha DeVito, who was actually my team leader during the 2011 Beijing ISCE, and has remained my good friend ever since, was nice enough to take the train from her school in upstate NY down to the city just so she could attend the event! Fordham’s Songs for Smiles event not only raised funds and awareness for our charity, but also brought together student volunteers to share their passion and love for Operation Smile.
Fordham President Dan Dalena and former Executive Leadership Council Member Sam DeVito
Left to right: Fordham Co-President, Julia Tomasek, Former Fordham President and Founder Eliza Boggia, Former Executive Leadership Council member Sam DeVito, and Fordham Co-President Dan Dalena
Daniel Dalena
President
Operation Smile at Fordham University
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