It is estimated that one child is born with a cleft condition every three minutes.
These conditions can have profound impacts on a child’s life, impacting their ability to eat, breathe and speak. Additionally, many children face bullying throughout their childhoods due to this condition. Fortunately, with the right support and care, those children can go on to live happy, healthy lives. Junior Caroline Matthews recently founded an Operation Smile club at LHS to extend a helping hand to those children in need.
Operation Smile is an international organization that helps children with untreated cleft conditions get the surgery they need. Operation Smile helps children with cleft conditions by providing psychosocial care, surgery, dentistry, orthodontics, speech and nutrition.
“I wanted to start this club [at LHS] because I really believe in this organization’s mission and everything they do,” Matthews said. “I know that my smile is a big part of my life, so if I can change the lives of at least one person, then that’s good.”
Their first club meeting was last Thursday in Mr. Buenos’s room. The room was filled with people ready to help out kids. During the meeting they discussed their goals, leadership positions and the organization as a whole.
“Caroline is really dedicated to what she does, and she is always an innovative thinker,” junior Hannah Gapp said. “She has a kind heart and a positive attitude.”
The surgery for a cleft palate costs $240 for Operation Smile. Clubs around the world, like the one Matthews created, fundraise to help kids in need.
“The Smile Club is important because there will always be children all over the globe that need some extra support,” junior Kathryn Hannah said. “I’m grateful that the Smile Club is there and willing to help.”
The club meets every Thursday morning at 7:55 in Mr. Buenos’s room. Anyone willing to join the cause is welcome to join in.
“The first project we’re doing [as a club] is making some blankets,” Matthews said. “Then [throughout the year] we’re also going to do a variety of other things like making friendship bracelets, hospital gowns, smile bags and stuff like that [for Operation Smile].”
Smile club will donate the blankets they make to the Operation Smile team. The blankets go to the children in need.
“I joined the Smile Club because I wanted to be a part of a group who strived to make a positive difference in our world,” Gapp said. “[The club] is special because it’s an organized group of students who believe in a common goal: changing the lives of children and being able to put a big smile on their precious faces.”
