Operation Smile

Our Beginning

Operation Smile was founded by Dr. William P. Magee, a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Kathleen, a nurse and clinical social worker. In 1982, the Magees traveled to the Philippines with a group of medical volunteers to repair children's cleft lips and cleft palates. They discovered hundreds of children ravaged by deformities, and although they helped many children, the volunteers were forced to turn away the majority of those who sought help. The Magees saw the need and Operation Smile was born.

Our Success

In 23 years, Operation Smile's volunteers have provided free reconstructive surgery to tens of thousands of children and young adults in 25 developing countries and the United States, bringing them new hope and new lives. For nine weeks in 1999, Operation Smile conducted World Journey of Hope '99, the largest-ever surgical mission dedicated to correcting cleft lips and cleft palates, bringing care to more than 5,000 children in 18 countries and the United States.

Our Programs

Through our International Foundation's and Domestic Chapter's efforts, Operation Smile's thousands of volunteers work tirelessly to change the lives of tens of thousands of children and young adults suffering from devastating facial deformities. Medical training and continuing education has been provided to 10,000 health care professionals at home and abroad. Patients who require intensive reconstructive surgery for severe deformities are brought to the United States for surgery as World Care patients. Operation Smile’s Student Programs teach hundreds of youth the values of caring, service, leadership and education.

How to Make Your Donation - For $240 or just $20 a month

You can change a child's life by giving the gift of a surgery that takes as little as 45 minutes.

Our goal in District 7510 is to have each of our 44 clubs contribute at least $240 for one surgery. For more information, or if you would like me to visit your club, call me at 732-247- 5255, or email me at cchaityn@comcast.net Operation Smile website is Operationsmile.org

Rotary International

Over the years, Rotarians around the world have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support our medical missions. Operation Smile depends on these donations and the matching grants from Rotary International to help more and more children. Look into one of these children’s faces and you’ll agree the Rotarians “provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.” One of the ways in which clubs have contributed significant dollars is through the Rotary Foundation’s matching grants program. Operation Smile received its first grant in 1991 for its mission to Panama. This past year, Operation Smile received matching grants for Bolivia, Honduras and Kenya. Rotarians have not only provided monetary contributions, but have worked tirelessly to help Operation Smile here at home and abroad. Rotary volunteers have served the missions on-site by assisting as translators and unpacking cargo. They are willing to lend a helping hand wherever they can – and the clubs always lend their support for the matching grant process.

International Service Committees