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.

Fordham: Songs For Smiles, Fall 2011

    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

Hamilton College Fall 2011 Update

My name is Daniel Lichtenauer, and I am a sophomore at Hamilton College and the National Chapter Correspondent for the Hamilton College Chapter of Operation Smile.  We believe it is very important to keep in regular communication with our members, advisors, and regional chapter organizers to provide updates on our chapter’s progress and to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship between everyone involved with this worthy cause. As Operation Smile is a new organization to Hamilton College, it is with great pleasure that I report of our chapter’s success thus far and our plans for the future.

The Hamilton College Chapter has come a long way since registering with Operation Smile on August 29^th, 2011. A base of supporters was established via Facebook, and was increased drastically after members manned a table at our campus open house in the beginning of September. There, students can learn about clubs on campus and sign up for those they find appealing. Our table was very successful- over eighty students signed up!

Our first meeting on September 7^th was aimed at informing new members of Operation Smile’s mission and goals. Just a few days later, Hamilton Student Activities Board approved the Hamilton Chapter and elections for executive board positions were held. The founders of the Hamilton Chapter, Kara Shannon, ’14, and Leah Krause, ’14, were already established as Co-Presidents, both clearly passionate for the cause. McKenzie Foster, ’14, was elected to Vice President for her outstanding previous involvement and leadership with Operation Smile and other non-profit organizations. Experienced in the management of funds, Amanda Ng, ’14, was elected to Treasurer. Samantha Otis, ’14, an organized and dedicated member of Operation Smile, was elected to the position of Secretary. Isabelle Tan, ’14, was elected to be the Chapter Communications Director for her knowledge of and previous successes with social media. Ren Stern, ’13, a strong communicator and enthusiastic member of Hamilton Operation Smile, was elected for the position of Community Outreach Director. A few weeks later, I was asked by the then established executive board to join them as National Chapter Correspondent based on my previous leadership experience with non-profit organizations.

On September 22^nd a fundraising page through First Giving was opened, gaining over $350 before the end of its first day online. Three days later, the $1,000 mark was reached, an astounding accomplishment for such a new club to achieve in only four day’s time. Our first awareness event, entitled “What makes you smile?” successfully spread the Organization’s message through allowing students to write what made them show their pearly whites on a poster, which was then displayed in a high-traffic area on campus. Members from our chapter took shifts by the poster to inform and answer the questions of the many students who participated in the activity. This allowed the campus community to really understand how much makes them smile, and that for a trivial cost, those unable to afford surgery can have their cleft palates repaired, able to smile at the things that make them happy without shame.

                 

                           Co-President Leah Krause answers questions at the “what makes

you smile?” poster.

On October 29^th our chapter held a Halloween-themed bake sale fundraiser, headed by the enthusiastic efforts of freshmen Ashley Carducci and Deanna Cho. The success of this event was an example of the Co-President’s effective management strategy, wherein any member of the chapter has the ability to form a committee to accomplish goals they feel particularly passionate about. This ensures the quality of our events and the enthusiasm of involved members.

           

     

Co-President Kara Shannon and involved members Ashley Carducci

and Deanna Cho man the bake sale table.

We have several ambitious plans for next semester focusing equally on fundraising and awareness, including a fundraiser concert by The Girls Can Hear Us, an up and coming house music artist. Also planned for next semester is a day without smiles, where faculty and students can volunteer to keep a straight face all day, followed that evening by a comedy show where smiles will be very much allowed. This will show our campus community that even the ability to smile can be taken for granted, and that we can do something to help those less fortunate than we. Also in the developmental stages are plans to host a guest speaker and to hold candy-gram fundraisers.

            Overall, the Hamilton College chapter has had an incredibly successful start, and looks forward to an even more successful future. Our chapter is composed of extremely passionate individuals with the intelligence and focus to greatly contribute to the mission of Operation Smile. 

Daniel O’Brien Lichtenauer

Hamilton College, ‘14

Nat’l. Chapter Correspondent, HCOS

dlichten@hamilton.edu

BU: Franklin Park Zoo Halloween

In the beginning of November Operation Smile at Boston University volunteered at the Zoo Howl at Franklin Park Zoo. Volunteers dressed up in costumes and helped with a variety of activities around the park. Some of us handed out candy to children at stations next to animal exhibits. Other volunteers helped out with a haunted maze. After the event, volunteers helped the zoo staff clean up the park. This event allowed our club to interact with and give back to people in our own community, while spreading awareness about Operation Smile in the Boston area.


So why is this relevant to Operation Smile Student Programs?
           OS BU works to spread awareness, educate children, and promote philanthropy. Operation Smile BU also got to bond as a club, helping us to work more effectively on future initiatives. Sometimes it's especially difficult to raise funds in a college setting. by working on other volunteer opportunities, students can learn how they can be the change they want to see in the world, no matter what. 

BU: Giving Presentations and Creating Partnerships

In October, BU has been particularly focused on spreading awareness and establishing partnerships. We have spoken at Pre-dental and Pre-med society meetings. We have also spoken to a large cultural club called Alizana Latina. We are trying to set up relationships where we can easily spread the word to large numbers of dedicated leaders in the school.

This month I put together a presentation that allows all club members to give presentations on their own. The presentation is designed to provide basic information about Operation Smile, BU's club structure, and opportunities in the region and around the world. The presentation can be found on the University section of OS Central. Please feel free to use and adapt it as you see fit.

BU: Making Strides

This Sunday Boston University's Operation Smile club did our part to help out The American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.  The event is a massive undertaking that usually raises 3 million dollars in the Boston area alone. Since the organization, like Op Smile, only employs a small staff, they rely on student volunteers to make the event happen. A week before the event we attended a training session to learn about the cause and understand our role. On the day of the walk we met up on campus at 6am (an accomplishment for any college student on a Sunday) and headed out to the walk. We were then placed in assigned roles working to register participants and collect literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations. We got to talk to individuals, families and teams that were all rallying around a cause they believed in. It was inspiring to see how much money these people raised from their friends and families and how much dedication they had to philanthropy.

Although the event was not directly related to Operation Smile, we were able to serve our community, bond a club, and build leadership skills. Boston University provides the majority of student volunteers for the event, so we were proud to help our school be the change we want to see in the world.
Op Smile at BU had the chance to assist a highly successful event and consequently gained skills to put on similar events in the future.

Breast cancer is one of the most visible causes in America. Organizations like The American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen spread awareness on an amazing scale in campaigns ranging from relatively simple charity walks to the lids on your yogurt, from claiming the entire month of October to decking out NFL teams in pink gear.  There will always be great causes to fight for. Each cause is backed by passionate individuals who are making a positive impact in the world. It seems incredibly clear that breast cancer organizations have put their issues to the forefront of the American consciousness. There is something that we as Operation Smile volunteers and as leaders can learn from their passion and striking ability to share their cause.

Like cancer, a facial deformity, such as a cleft lip or cleft palate has a profound impact on individuals, families, and societies as a whole. We quickly learned that breast cancer gains so much awareness because organizations tap into that sense of community.  It was amazing to see thousands of people from all different walks of life come together to support someone they knew.  These organizations think big, uniting supporters under one national campaign. What international campaign can we work on together?

In order to spread more awareness about Operation Smile, we need to develop the public's understanding of how facial deformities affect communities and impact everyone. Fortunately the concept of "community"has grown beyond our neighborhoods to include the entire world. In an increasingly globalized world, one can not help but feel that we are all connected--especially through the universal language of a smile. Although our nation is blessed with better nutrition, advanced pre-natal care, more economic oppirtunity, and skilled medical professionals, most of the world is not as lucky and thus have higher rates of facial deformities. Co-founder of Operation Smile, Dr. Bill Magee, often states that if the hand of fate were to roll the dice again, the overwhelming odds would be that we would be that child picking rice for his family, struggling to make ends meet. So how can we show that a child with a facial deformity in Ethiopia is just as important as a child around the corner?


Operation Smile at BU had an amazing time at the Making Strides walk. We felt proud of our ability to help others and grateful for the lessons learned at the event. Hopefully we can work together to come up with new ways to spread awareness and make a difference in the world.

Boston University September 2011 Update

This month has been a very productive month for Operation Smile BU. Since most of our leadership board graduated in the spring we first had to deal with getting everything back together. Realizing the potential for our club to collapse we tried to anticipate the change in leadership by selecting and training a whole new board in the spring. At the beginning of the year we made sure to re-register our club We re-registered out club with BU and Operation Smile (register online here). We also made sure to check in with our activities office and make sure we had an up to date understanding of how to plan events and request allocations.

We made a big push to as much as the incoming freshman as we could. The most passionate and dedicated members usually start young, so get them while they are fresh. We set up awareness booths at a general freshman club fair, a fall club expo and a pre-health club fair. It's important to look into these fairs in the spring or over the summer, since registration usually closes before you can get yourself together in the fall.  We prepared ahead of time and made sure our booths had a clear banner (donated by a local business a few years ago) and were fully stocked with OP Smile merchandise, such as brochures, bracelets and temporary tattoos. We also sold our Op Smile club shirts that can be found and ordered on our club website. The booths were really successful. We ended up growing our email list by about fifty percent.  If you're interested in getting operation smile merchandise, email me at jamesonreid@gmail.com. A lot of emails doesn't necessarily translate into a lot of club members, but it certainly gives a broader range of people to get involved when they can.

We had our first meeting of the year where we introduced club members to Operation Smile through a mission presentation, outlined our club goals, and talked about our upcoming events. We also introduced the structure of our club. In an effort to empower general club memebers to take an active role in planning, we have fundraising, community service, and PR committees. Each committee is led by a separate "chair" that is present at all leadership board meetings and directs the focus of the group. This way students who are not on the e-board can work to develop a fundraiser idea, set up a community service event, or create a new way to spread awareness.

In an effort to lock in the students who attended the first meeting, we planned our first event over the summer. We volunteered at a MitoAction 5k charity run. MitoAction is a non-profit organization that helps people, especially children, dealing with mitochondrial disease. We worked to set up, to run  children's booths, and to clean up the event. MitoAction raised over 95 thousand dollars by the end of the day. The event allowed club members to educate youth, spread awareness about our own cause, bond club members, build leadership skills, be involved directly in the service of others, and see a new part of Boston.