Operation Smile

I think about how blessed I’ve been in my life. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, but they made sacrifices and got me into braces as a teenager. I now have a beautiful smile. I even have a student this year who comments on how white my teeth are…LOL! I tell her it’s all thanks to my Mommy! I look through my scrapbooks and see all the smiling faces, and I simply can’t imagine what my life would have been like had I or any of my loved ones been born with a facial deformity.

I was reminded of all of this as I was looking through some of my old notes from the Close To My Heart 2008 Convention.

On June 1, 2008, Close To My Heart teamed up with Operation Smile as our official charity. They made the announcement at our annual convention which was held in Disney World that year. I vividly recall sitting in the audience listening to Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee tell us their story. The number of lives they have impacted is astounding.

The birth of a child is the number one reason why women start scrapbooking. Yet, parents of children with facial deformities don’t see smiling faces. Instead, they feel anxiety and fear. Did you know that it only takes $240 and 45-60 minutes of surgery to repair cleft lips and cleft palates?! In the US, this simple surgery is done automatically, but in other parts of the world, these become throwaway children. Many can’t speak or eat, and some die of malnutrition.

Dr. Magee reminded the audience that there are “so many problems in the world that we can’t change, but this is something we can change!” According to the Operation Smile website, they celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2012 and have “provided more than 200,000 life-changing surgeries worldwide.”

As we celebrate Close To My Heart’s 30th anniversary, I want to recommit myself to raising enough donations to put a smile on the face of at least one child this year! CTMH donates money for every stamp set that is purchased, but I also can raise more donations by asking my customers to round up their purchase to the nearest dollar. I’m also donating a 30-minute Studio J coaching session to the Dream Team Operation Smile Auction at convention in Disneyland at the end of the month!

[pullquote align=”right”]”The value and dignity of one child’s life is worth the effort of people he will never know.” ~Dr. Bill Magee[/pullquote]You can make a donation by visiting my shopping cart and entering in a donation amount. No purchase necessary! Simply update quantity and then click the “Checkout Now” button. You will need to create an account if you don’t have one and then complete the purchase to make your donation. If you would like to make a large donation to Operation Smile, contact me first for more details.

As you go about your day, remember that a smile changes everything!