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Home > News & Press > NewsNewsOperation Smile Honors International Nurse Volunteer) At the conclusion of Operation Smile’s mission to Nairobi, Kenya, in October 2006, Julia Kibe, a nurse volunteer from Kenya was presented with the Lucy Navivasha Kabii International Nursing Award of Excellence. This award is in recognition of international nurses who stand out and set new standards for their colleagues. Julia Kibe is the first recipient of this prestigious award and was chosen because of her accomplishments and dedication. In the last year, Julia attended the Operation Smile Clinical Coordinator Workshop and has achieved the nurse leadership position as Clinical Coordinator on two Kenya missions, making her the only nurse from one of Operation Smile’s partner countries who has achieved Clinical Coordinator status and completed missions in this role.Linda Highfield, Operation Smile nurse and chair of the Nursing Council, said, “Julia has elevated the scope of nursing practice and certainly set an exemplary standard for all of us to follow. She has been involved with Operation Smile in Kenya from its inception, been a tireless volunteer and is well respected among her peers.” Congratulations Julia and thank you for all the beautiful smiles you have helped create in Africa! This award is named in honor of Lucy Navivasha Kabii, one of Operation Smile’s most dedicated nurses from Kenya who exemplified excellence in all areas but regretfully, she passed away in 2006 from complications of malaria. Vanessa and Don Trump Jr. Host a Holiday Shopping-Fete to Support Operation Smile at FAO SchwarzNew York's newest power couple, Vanessa and Don Trump Jr. will host an evening of shopping, fun and celebrations to support their favorite charity, Operation Smile, an organization dedicated to changing the lives of children with life-altering facial deformities worldwide on Monday, December 11, 2006 at FAO Schwarz. The legendary Fifth Avenue flagship store will open its doors exclusively to invited guests, to celebrate the couple's 29th birthdays. The evening hosted by Trump Magazine, will recreate a magical childhood holiday experience with toy soldiers galore. The couple has urged friends to purchase their holiday gifts during the evening in lieu of bringing birthday presents and arranged for a percentage of all proceeds from this event to be donated to Operation Smile. Operation Smile Hosts World Summit 2006 in Limerick, IrelandEvent gathers 130 Operation Smile international leaders in preparation for 2007’s 25th Anniversary initiatives to increase the number of children treated with facial deformities. Operation Smile, a private, not-for-profit, volunteer medical services organization providing free reconstructive surgery and related healthcare to children around the world suffering with facial deformities, announces its World Summit 2006. The three-day conference in Ireland will assemble 130 of Operation Smile’s leading authorities representing nearly 30 countries. The Summit is being held to officially launch the year-long 25th Anniversary celebration and to finalize plans allowing the organization to treat more children around the world suffering with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. World Summit 2006 will take place October 22-24 at Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort in Adare County, Limerick, Ireland. Hosted by Operation Smile, nearly 130 participants from Operation Smile’s 25 partner countries, six resource countries and the United States will converge at the site to discuss the organization’s upcoming 25th anniversary and develop strategies to equip Operation Smile partner countries with the tools they need to increase the number of children treated each year. Tom and Judy Kane, owners of Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort, are donating the facilities and accommodations for the event and the location provides a central location for participants from the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The participants will attend sessions focused on medicine, funding and sustainability to develop methods that will lead to improved and sustained health care for children suffering with facial deformities. An overview of Operation Smile’s World Journey of Smiles will be discussed, which will increase the number of children served each year. To be conducted in 2007, World Journey of Smiles will propel Operation Smile into the next 25 years, ensuring its success by giving Operation Smile’s partner countries the necessary knowledge, expertise, and equipment to treat children in their own countries year round. Operation Smile Loses a Friend) Operation Smile mourns the passing of Svend Ingerslev, Executive Director of the Lladró Beverly Hills Boutique in California. Thanks to Svend and his passion for children around the world, Operation Smile’s collaboration with Lladró was the company’s largest U.S. charity partnership in its 50-year history.An eight-month national campaign began March 1, 2006, with the introduction of a timeless porcelain sculpture. The piece, “Let me Help You,” was designed to raise funds and awareness for Operation Smile. The unveiling of the sculpture took place at the Lladró Beverly Hills Boutique. The campaign raised $150,000 to sponsor Operation Smile’s medical mission to Kenya in October 2006. Operation Smile is humbled by Svend’s dedication and his example of the true humanitarian spirit will continue to be an inspiration to us all. Operation Smile Honors Plastic Surgery, Pediatric and Anesthesia Volunteers)
Operation Smile honored its dedicated plastic surgeon volunteers during the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) in San Francisco on October 8. Operation Smile CEO and Co-founder Dr. Bill Magee presented the Dr. Stephen Pratt Award to Dr. Les Mohler, a long time Operation Smile volunteer who served on his 17th mission in July 2006. Dr. Mohler’s warmth, generosity and kind heart have touched the lives of hundreds of children around the world. Dr. Mohler has been a plastic surgeon for more than 30 years and is a diplomate on the American Board of Plastic Surgery, member of the ASPRS, ASAPS, Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Society and Ohio Valley Society for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.
Dr. Stephen Pratt was a dedicated Operation Smile volunteer plastic surgeon who donated his time and talent for nearly 10 years, participating on medical missions in Venezuela, China, Russia, Jordan, Nicaragua and Bolivia. Pratt lived in Nashville, TN, and passed away in 2004 of a pulmonary embolism. )
On October 9, Operation Smile honored its dedicated pediatrician volunteers during the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition in Atlanta, Ga. Operation Smile’s Pediatric Intensivist Medical Council Chair, Dr. Henry Issenberg, presented the Award of Excellence in Pediatrics to Dr. Arash Babaoff, who has served on nearly 20 Operation Smile missions around the world since 2001. During the award presentation, Dr. Henry Issenberg said, “If you are at a mission site the year following Arash, inevitably, the local hospital people and frequently patients, ask where is he, and if will he be coming back soon. He always makes an impression and is a very hard act to follow! He is extremely organized, remembering patients’ and staff’s names, and showing sincere concern for each child whom we are all honored to treat.” Dr. Babaoff attended medical school at the University of Michigan, where upon completion was awarded the Patrick Niland Award for practice of compassionate medicine. He completed his pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio and currently works in its pediatric emergency department and transport team.
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During the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) annual meeting on October 15 in Chicago, Ill., Operation Smile honored its volunteer anesthesiologists with a reception. During the event, Operation Smile Chief Medical Officer Dr. Rob Rubin presented Dr. Willie Go with the Dr. Lionel Glassman Award. Dr. Go is a longtime Operation Smile volunteer from the Philippines who has traveled around the globe and served on more than 35 medical missions. Not only is he an accomplished and respected physician who has touched the lives of thousands of patients and their families throughout the years worldwide, but he is humble, kind and generous and has dedicated so much of his life to helping others.
Dr. Lionel Glassman was a dedicated Operation Smile anesthesiologist who donated his time and talent for seven years, participating on medical missions to countries such as Bolivia, Gaza, Honduras, Kenya, Morocco, and Vietnam. Dr. Glassman joined Operation Smile as he neared retirement from a career that included 10 years as chief anesthesiologist and medical director at The SurgiCenter of Baltimore in Owings Mills, MD. Dr. Glassman passed away in November of 2004. In a letter to Operation Smile, his wife Stephie Glassman said, “His patients loved him and he took constant pleasure practicing the healing art, but it was his work with Operation Smile that brought him the greatest joy and completion. Spending time with each of you on every mission, working for the good of humankind energized him and the friends he made the world over brought a richness to his life.” Miles for SmilesSouth African Adventurers Traveling Length of China’s Great Wall to Raise Money for Operation Smile
But, this is not just about two extreme sportsmen setting a record. As David Grier, 46, a restaurateur and Braam Malherbe, 48, an ecologist and youth counsellor complete this challenge, they will raise funds for the Cipla Medpro Miles for Smiles Foundation, which aims to give every South African child the gift of a smile. The Miles for Smiles Challenge goal is to raise nearly $375,000 which will be donated to Operation Smile South Africa. Grier and Malherbe have been best friends for 20 years. Malherbe said, “There’s much more to it than just setting a new record. For me it’s about showing children that if you put your mind to something, you can do it. It’s about showing these (disfigured) children their potential.” Each year, the Miles for Smiles Foundation will challenge South African sportsmen to conquer the ultimate endurance test. “We want to make this initiative fun, interactive, and relevant, while raising funds for deserving children. We are inspired to be working with David and Braam on this, our first challenge,” explains Cipla Medpro’s national marketing manager, Dr. Gavin Jones.
Cipla Medpro will be challenging David and Braam to run, crawl or climb 45 km per day, six days a week over the next five months to complete the estimated 5,000km journey and be the first to accurately record the precise length of the only man-made structure that can be seen from space. The wall passes through nine provinces and all the bricks from the Ming period section of the wall alone would circle the earth at the equator, in a 5ft high and 3ft thick wall! Starting in Jiayuguan in the Gobi desert, they will continue East through the desert and Inner Mongolia, over mountains and forest, encountering heat, wind and snow, until they finish at Shanhaiguan, where the ramparts of the Great Wall are washed by the waves of the Yellow Sea. From September 7-16, an Operation Smile team of international medical volunteers will work with Operation Smile South Africa volunteers in Empangeni, South Africa, where they will provide free medical evaluations and reconstructive surgery to children suffering with facial deformities. This is Operation Smile’s first mission to South Africa, Operation Smile’s 25th mission country. The mission team, comprised of volunteers from South Africa, Brazil, Italy, Kenya, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, will work at Ngwelezane Hospital, in northern KwaZulu-Natal Province. In March 2006, Operation Smile South Africa registered as a section 21 company and opened an office in Cape Town, South Africa. LPGA Player Jeong Jang Supports the Children of Operation SmileJeong Jang, the 2005 Weetabix Women's British Open Champion, has announced an initiative to support the children of Operation Smile, a charity that provides free reconstructive surgery to children and young adults around the world suffering with facial deformities. Jeong Jang stated, "When I first came on tour, I could barely speak a word of English, so at times, the only way that I could communicate was with a smile. The children that Operation Smile supports can't even do that because of the facial deformities that they were born with. These conditions are correctable, but not always affordable. After seeing the results of Operation Smile's efforts, I just had to get involved. Maybe as I travel to play golf in different parts of the world, one of the children that were helped through our efforts will smile at me and we will enjoy a moment of connection, no matter what our first languages are. After all, I know that even a smile shouldn't be taken for granted."
Jeong Jang has committed to support Operation Smile in a number of ways, including paying for cleft lip surgery for 18 children over the next 18 months, by increasing awareness of Operation Smile's work worldwide, by displaying the organization's logo on her golf bag and by asking for the support of others to reach her goal of funding an Operation Smile medical mission. Jeong Jang (or 'JJ') is one of the world's elite golfers. She finished #5 on the LPGA Money List last year and was also the highest ranked Asian player on the LPGA Tour. JJ finished either 1st or 2nd in 7 statistical categories including #1 in top 10 finishes and #1 in birdie average. She is the current defending Weetabix Women's British Open Champion and defending Wegman's LPGA Champion. For more about Jeong Jang, visit www.goJJgo.com. Operation Smile to Conduct First Mission in South Africa to Bring Smiles to Children with Facial DeformitiesAn Operation Smile team of international medical volunteers will be in Empangeni, South Africa, from September 7-16, where they will provide free medical evaluations and reconstructive surgery to children suffering with facial deformities. More than 40 medical and non-medical volunteer team members, including plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, pediatricians, dentists, speech pathologists and others, will care for children who suffer from cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. This is Operation Smile’s first medical mission in South Africa, which is Operation Smile’s 25th mission country. The mission team, comprised of volunteers from South Africa, Brazil, Italy, Kenya, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, will work at Ngwelezana Hospital, in northern KwaZulu-Natal Province. The medical team will conduct free public medical evaluations for patients on September 8th and 9th, followed by one week of surgery.
Photographer Chet Gordon of Port Chester, NY, volunteered his time and talent during the inaugural mission to South Africa. Above, are some of the amazing photos he captured. This inaugural Operation Smile mission in South Africa has been made possible thanks to the efforts of a global network of health ministries, other organizations and individuals who advocate for improved healthcare. In March 2006, Operation Smile South Africa registered as a section 21 company and opened an office in Cape Town, South Africa. Professor Anil Madaree, head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Nelson R. Mandela’s School of Medicine, serves as Operation Smile South Africa’s Medical Director. Operation Smile South Africa’s Executive Director Natalie Miller said, “We are thrilled to have Professor Madaree’s experience, leadership and passion and we hope that more volunteers and South African corporate partners will help sustain the Foundation.” The mission is being carried out in collaboration with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health and the locally based Star Smile Fund. This mission is also being made possible by the Operation Smile South Africa volunteers and donors including but not limited to Amway, Cipla Medpro, South African Airways, Canefields Country House, South African Paper Mill, and Premier Foods. Operation Smile South Africa plans to conduct local missions in rural areas across the country and ultimately build the Foundation into a regional hub for treating children throughout Southern Africa. In addition to working side-by-side with in-country doctors and nurses during international medical missions, Operation Smile volunteers also offer hands-on training and lectures during each international medical mission. During the mission in Empangeni, Operation Smile international volunteers and Operation Smile South Africa volunteers will conduct educational lectures and discussions to provide medical information to South African surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses. Operation Smile and U.S. Navy Bring Smiles to Children in Bangladesh) From June 28-July 5, nearly 40 Operation Smile volunteers worked in cooperation with the U.S. military to provide new smiles to children in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy spent several months in Asia providing humanitarian medical relief and Operation Smile was proud to play a part. The Operation Smile international team provided free medical evaluations at Chittagong Medical College Hospital for more than 140 children suffering with cleft lips and cleft palates. The patients selected for surgery and his/her parent or guardian were transported by helicopter from Chittagong to the USNS Mercy where Operation Smile medical volunteers, Navy personnel and members of Chittagong Medical College Hospital worked together to provide 54 children with free reconstructive surgery.
USNS Mercy Commanding Officer Joseph Moore, MD, said, "We were all witness to the courage and trust it took on the part of a Bangladeshi mother or father to escort their child through the surgical process. After a 30-minute transit from shore, they stepped out of the helicopter and onto the deck of this immense ship, and proceeded to walk into what must have felt like a completely foreign world. Thanks to all who demonstrated this unique collaboration was possible."
This mission marked the first time Operation Smile has treated children from Bangladesh, with plans to conduct future missions in the country to help many more. Photos by Marc Ascher © Joanie's Smiles Partnership to Bring Smiles to More Than 200 Children The Malibu-based Joanie's Smiles has launched a new line of gourmet chocolate bars infused with the finest and tastiest natural ingredients available, and the company is using profits from this product to give back to the children of Operation Smile.Company founder Joanie Freeman, trained at the prestigious California School of Culinary Arts' Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie Program and a past pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck's Granita restaurant, created the company almost by accident. While drinking a cup of tea, she unintentionally dropped a hunk of her chocolate bar into it. A classically-trained expert of the pleasures of the palate, Joanie noticed that the fusion of the two tastes worked scrumptiously together. Joanie's Smiles was soon born, employing premium chocolates with the best organic teas and flavors into bars that have received critical and customer acclaim since their first production.  With each Smiles bar you enjoy, you're giving a child the gift of a new smile. Taste a Smile today! Now available at www.joaniessmiles.com, Plain-T.com and Amazon.com Action Outreach Partners with Operation Smile to Aid Children in Urumqi, China Action Outreach, a registered U.K. charity, is sponsoring an Operation Smile medical mission in Urumqi, China. From May 23 to June 3, 2006, an international team of Operation Smile medical volunteers will provide free medical evaluations and surgery to disfigured children at the No. 5 Affiliated Hospital to Xinjiang Medical College in the Xinjiang Province. This medical mission has been scheduled in conjunction with RacingThePlanet's Gobi March 2006 taking place May 28 - June 3 as a six-stage, 250-km (150 mile) footrace across China's Gobi Desert. Action Outreach, while promoting other charitable endeavors throughout the world, has partnered with Operation Smile to direct funding from Gobi March competitors to support Operation Smile's ongoing humanitarian work in China. For the second year in a row, Action Outreach will support a complete medical and education mission, treating disfigured children, free of charge, and training medical professionals to treat more children in need of care. Read the press release.If you would like to join efforts with Action Outreach and support Operation Smile, please make your donation in U.S. dollars by clicking here. Be sure to select Action Outreach/Gobi March from the drop down menu under the "How did you hear about us?" section. To learn more about Action Outreach, please visit their Web site at www.actionoutreach.org. To learn more about RacingThePlanet's Gobi March endurance race, please visit www.racingtheplanet.com. Medical Diplomacy Reaches New Heights as 207 Iraqi Operation Smile Patients & Families are Flown Safely Back to BaghdadCoordinated efforts of U.S. Air Force, U.S Dept. of Defense, U.S. Dept. of State & Operation Smile Bring Smiles to Iraqi Children Thanks to an historic effort of collaboration, 207 Iraqi children and their families are back home in Iraq, following nine days spent in Amman, Jordan, where 110 children received free medical evaluations and reconstructive surgery to repair their cleft lips and cleft palates courtesy of Operation Smile Inc., working side-by-side with our foundation and medical volunteers of Operation Smile Jordan. Transport out of Amman was provided by a United States Air Force C-17 aircraft, when it became clear to Operation Smile officials that the 22-hour trip home by bus might not be safe for the group of 207 Iraqi patients, families and medical professionals. With concern for both the safety and post-operative recovery for the patients paramount, Operation Smile sought a diplomatic solution to conclude this important humanitarian effort. The resulting flight on April 29 became possible through the cooperation of many, including the U.S. Departments of Defense and State, as well as the actual airlift carried out by U.S. Air Force personnel. About the Flight Courtesy of Maj. Robert Palmer, CENTAF-FWD Public Affairs, Media Relations Officer, Robert.palmer@auab.centaf.af.mil AMMAN, Jordan and BAGHDAD, Iraq --- As they stepped into the large, gray military cargo plane, their eyes widened and their expressions were equal parts wonder and bewilderment. This was the first time many of the Iraqi children and their parents had ever flown in an airplane, and none had ever been in an aircraft as large as the United States Air Force's C-17 Globemaster III. On Saturday, the aircraft based in Southwest Asia flew 110 Iraqi children and 97 of their parents, guardians and escorts from Amman to Baghdad in support of "Operation Smile." Operation Smile, an international non-governmental organization, provides corrective surgery for cleft palate and cleft lip, congenital birth defects that affect approximately one out of every 600 children, according to the Cleft Palate Foundation. Operation Smile had evaluated the Iraqi children and transported them to Amman for corrective surgery.
Operation Smile Co-Founder and CEO Dr. William P. Magee, Jr. and chief medical officer Dr. Robert Rubin wrote to Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and requested assistance from the United States Air Force to provide safe airlift for the Iraqi children and their parents. The Air Force received approval for the mission late Friday evening and by early Saturday morning, the C-17 was airborne and enroute to Amman. After the young patients and their parents had settled into their seats, they listened intently as Dr. Talib, a plastic surgery resident traveling with the group, read the preflight safety briefing in Arabic. Members of the crew reassured nervous passengers that the oxygen masks were only necessary in case of emergency. The passengers recited a brief prayer as the plane began to taxi. "We're asking God for safe passage to Iraq," explained one of the parents. The prayer was repeated several times with increasing urgency and volume as the plane accelerated down the runway and lifted off. One Iraqi woman quietly fingered her prayer beads and hugged her daughter tightly as the plane began its rapid ascent. "This is turning out to be a rewarding mission," said Lt. Col. Chris Carlsen, the aircraft commander. "You see all the children with the smiles on their faces. I'm glad to be a part of this. It's a historic and beneficial event for the Iraqi people." Airman 1st Class Alexis Elliott, a loadmaster for the C-17, agreed. "It makes me feel like I'm really helping to do something important," said Elliott, who is on her first deployment with the Air Force. As the plane landed, taxied and came to a halt at Baghdad International Airport's passenger terminal, the faces of the Iraqi children and their parents explained very clearly what Operation Smile is all about. One jubilant father exited the plane, dropped to his knees and kissed the ground, although it was not clear whether he was celebrating his return to Iraq or just happy to be back on solid ground.
Chris Anderson, International Development Manager for Operation Smile's Middle East Region, accompanied the flight and commented, "The bottom line is that the military is really trying to do what it can to help. The support was a great match for us." "Everyone Played a Role" Operation Smile CEO and Co-founder, Dr. Bill Magee, acknowledged the selfless teamwork of many in saying, "I would like to thank the countless individuals who contributed a part in setting the stage for this ultimate transformational moment to take place. The can-do spirit exhibited by so many and the groundwork that had been laid by others before them ensured a positive outcome for these deserving patients, their families and medical escorts. Everyone played a role and one act of kindness simply built upon the other when it was most needed." Upon the group's arrival by bus into Amman for the start of the medical mission on April 20, officials began the search for alternative transportation for the return trip into Baghdad on April 29. Operation Smile Board of Governor's member and motivational speaker Dan Clark was speaking to a group of Air Force personnel and was prompted to ask Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Gerald Murray for assistance in Amman. Next, Operation Smile officials, including Chief Operating Officer Wayne Zinn, also spoke with Master Sergeant Murray and then briefed General T. Michael Mosely, Air Force Chief of Staff. Support from General Mosely led Operation Smile to approach Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld for authorization to use Air Force aircraft and personnel to provide a safe return to their homeland for these individuals. Letters of support from members of both the House and Senate bolstered Operation Smile's request for assistance. The joint request was made possible by letters from Congressman Trent Franks, Congresswoman Thelma Drake, Congressman Jim Moran, Senator John Warner, Senator George Allen, and Senator Mary Landrieu. The Washington law and lobbying firm Patton Boggs provided pro bono services coordinating collection of the letters. Commenting on the team effort, Anderson stated, "After landing, I was reminded of the magnitude of seemingly simple deeds, as the parents expressed not only relief but elation to be safely at home with a new hope for their children, and the faces and comments from the crew showed that the men and women of our armed forces are committed to improving the lives of the men, women and children of Iraq." The program is part of an ongoing effort to treat Iraqi children and to provide medical education and training for Iraqi medical professionals that has been funded in part by a grant from the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. To date, 245 patients have traveled to Amman, Jordan, to receive free reconstructive surgeries during Operation Smile Jordan medical missions held at Jameel Totanji Hospital in Sahab, Jordan. The teams have consisted of volunteer medical professionals from around the world who donated their time and talents to help these children and their families, already living in desperate circumstances, have some chance at gaining normal lives in the future. Operation Smile's Medical Education Conference Trains Physicians from Around the WorldMore than 60 physicians from 25 countries arrived in Norfolk, Va., to participate in Operation Smile's annual Physician's Training Program (PTP) from May 8-19. Since 1987, this conference has been a critical component of Operation Smile's training and education initiatives. PTP, which is led by Operation Smile CEO and Co-founder Dr. Bill Magee and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Rubin, gives physicians from Operation Smile mission countries the opportunity to learn new surgical techniques and to expand their knowledge through lectures, lab rotations, and operation room observation. The goal of PTP is to train physicians to care for children in their own countries, furthering Operation Smile's mission of helping its partner countries attain self-sufficiency. The program also provides the opportunity for physicians from all over the world to share valuable medical and cultural knowledge and to observe and receive training on difficult craniofacial cases. PTP is a joint effort by Operation Smile, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, and Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. To date, Operation Smile has brought more than 650 medical professionals to Norfolk, Virginia for PTP. Anesthesiologists and Pediatricians attending the conference train at Tidewater Center for Life Support to receive Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certifications, required to participate in Operation Smile medical missions. ) This year, the program was expanded to include panel-style presentations, more intensive hands-on workshops and the inclusion of specialty courses at Operation Smile partner institutions. From May 10-12, Anesthesia participants were in Washington, D.C. to receive instruction on pediatric anesthesia at George Washington University and Pediatric participants were in Philadelphia, Penn. at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to observe its pediatric intensive care unit. Surgery participants learned advanced surgical techniques at Duke University in Durham, N.C. from May 12-14.Norfolk Public School Students Meet Physicians From Around the WorldOn May 19, nearly 200 sixth grade students from six Norfolk public schools met and had an opportunity to interview physicians from Egypt, India, Italy, Morocco, Panama, Peru and the Philippines. The physicians were in Norfolk to participate in Operation Smile's Physicians' Training Program. The World Tour Student Day event was held at Eastern Virginia Medical School and gives students an opportunity to learn about volunteerism, geography and healthcare. The sixth graders listened to speeches from Operation Smile Speakers Bureau Coordinator and former patient Jose Villegas, two high school students who participated on recent Operation Smile missions and a local mother whose child received surgery thanks to Operation Smile. The students divided into small groups and spoke with physicians and Operation Smile staff members to learn more about Operation Smile and its partner countries. The students assembled "Smile Bags" to be given to children on an upcoming Operation Smile mission to Brazil. Each "Smile Bag" contains a mirror, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, shampoo, soap, washcloth, coloring book, crayons and a toy.
Operation Smile International Youth Ambassador Jessica Simpson, Operation Smile CEO and Co-founder Dr. Bill Magee Jr. and Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) Meet With Members of CongressJessica Simpson, Operation Smile CEO and Co-founder, Dr. Bill Magee Jr. and Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) joined a delegation traveling to Capitol Hill on Thursday, March 16 on behalf of the charity to meet with several Senators, Representatives and key Congressional staffers. Ms. Simpson, who currently serves as the organization's International Youth Ambassador, will be part of a team that includes former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson seeking to highlight Operation Smile's global mission. More... ) Photo by Paul Fetters Click here to see 2008 News Click here to see archived 2007 News Click here to see archived 2005 News |
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