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SPECIAL EDITION: COVID-19 Student Response
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From taking part in our two campaigns — Serving Smiles and #StayAtHomeWithASmile — to bringing Operation Smile into the classroom, this special edition of the Stud Pro Snapshot covers all the ways you can help make a difference during this critical time.
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#ServingSmiles
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As the world confronts COVID-19, Operation Smile student volunteers across the U.S. and Latin America are bringing the organization's global spirit of service to their hometowns through its Serving Smiles pilot program.
It’s a three-pronged approach to supporting the pillars of their communities during this challenging time: Young people are rallying their neighbors to bring much-needed business to local eateries, and those meals are fueling front line health care workers. It's a win-win-win.
In just two weeks, the Serving Smiles effort has provided nearly 2,000 meals to six hospitals in Virginia and two in New York City, as well as hospitals in Florida, Texas and California and a fire station in Paraguay. Here's a closer look:
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New York City: Our club at Horace Mann School helped deliver 50 yummy meals from Patrizia's of Maspeth to the hospital staff at Mt. Sinai Elmhurst in Queens. That's in addition to the 70 meals from Sweet Green delivered to Lenox Hill hospital in Manhattan. Click to watch the thank you video delivered along with the meal.
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Virginia:
Our Regional Leadership Council of students has been busy, dropping by multiple hospitals across Hampton Roads and providing almost 800 lunches in five days. Will Clifford, the catalyst of this effort and the grandson of Operation Smile's co-founders, has tallied 14 days of deliveries, counting 60 meals a day for almost 1,000 meals overall.
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Pennsylvania: With the help of student volunteers Karilyn Kruklitis and Sammy Knoblauch, we delivered enough pizzas — 45! — to feed two intensive care units and the cleaning crew at Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest in Allentown.
You can watch their thank you video here.
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Florida:Thanks to club president Lilly Nguyen and her mom-slash-club adviser MaiChi Dang, Operation Smile and Old Cuban Cafe provided lunches for 25 people at two hospitals, Orlando Health Dr. Phillips Hospital and Advent Health Winter Park. Club members went to the restaurant — which donated $200 toward the meals! — and helped pack the lunches. They put a hand-drawn card in each one.
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Panama:
We reached out to Operation Smile medical volunteers who work in hospitals across Panama, and they told us what's needed most is bottled water, coffee and tea.
On April 23, we refueled health care workers in three hospitals with our care packages filled with these break-room staples.
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Paraguay: We teamed up with Operation Smile student volunteer Valentina Ghiglione for the ultimate Serving Smiles win-win-win: Her family owns a local pizzeria, so we channeled the spirit of this initiative and purchased pizzas from their eatery, Pancia Piena, which donated some as well for firehouse volunteers to enjoy!
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A Message from the Magees: "I cannot tell you how important you are ... and we need you now more than ever before."
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In this special video message, Operation Smile Co-Founders Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee share how students like you can help us serve even more meals.
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With your help, we can continue to expand this program and aid medical and first-responder professionals around the world. Every donation you make will fuel both local restaurants and those working on the front lines of the pandemic.
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#StayHomeWithASmile
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Yeah, we're all hunkered down at home, but staying in doesn't have to mean we can't keep sharing smiles with each other (and the world!). That's why we've kicked off our global #StayatHomeWithaSmile campaign!
Every day, one of our regional student teams from around the world — Italy, Egypt, Vietnam and more — will post an activity on Instagram @osstudpro and @latinoamericaenaccion. From fitness challenges to watch parties, we'll offer up something fun for us to do together — just virtually.
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EDUCATORS' CORNER
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The World's Largest Lesson
Teachers worldwide are rising to the challenge of holding class remotely, and we want to help.
For starters, we invited our friend and educator Meghan Raftery to share how you can bring the world to your digital classroom.
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FEATURED STORY
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Of Cause and Couch
Wondering how you can support Operation Smile from home? From snapping selfies to hosting digital donation drives, we've rounded up a list of easy ways to boost our cause from your couch.
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YOUR QUARANTINE FRIEND: YOUTUBE
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Watching and Learning
You already use YouTube for everything else — now you can check out our YouTube tutorials on how to get involved with Operation Smile Student Programs!
Check out our students' videos on how to start a club, how to start a service project and more.
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NEW: ISLC SCHOLARSHIP FUND
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Investing in the Next Generation
While we recently announced the postponement of our 2020 International Student Leadership Conference (ISLC), we have high hopes for our 2021 gathering. We're aiming to bring together as many young leaders as possible — and we need your help to do so.
We've established an ISLC scholarship fund. Travel expenses are costly for everyone, but they can be especially heavy on families in certain countries around the world. Your support will help students participate in our 2021 conference who would never have the chance otherwise. We want to expand the number of countries represented and give a more diverse audience of students a chance to hone the skills necessary to become leaders in global health.
In every edition, we'll share the story of a student whose ISLC attendance helped them advance their studies and moved them close to their goals. We start the series here with Lucy Tam.
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The smallest things in life such as blowing bubbles and holding hands gave Lucy Tam the answer to her biggest question in life: What is her purpose?
"I think everybody is lost at one point in their life, because they don't know what to do," said Lucy, who's from Guatemala City. "I found out doing the smallest things could change whole families' lives. With Operation Smile, I found my purpose."
Lucy said she was happy to be at her first ISLC, where hundreds of her peers share her same purpose.
"There are so many nationalities with only one purpose — I love that — all with just one mindset to change people's lives."
Over her two-plus years with the organization, Lucy has built bonds with the families who return for checkups and comprehensive care. She said that these friendships — especially her connection with a mother and son from El Salvador — have inspired her to study biomedical engineering, so she can play a key role in providing the high-quality surgical care Operation Smile is known to provide.
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TAKE-OUT SHOUT-OUT
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