Club helps kids get facial surgery

With an internal reorganization, USU’s chapter of Operation Smile is hoping to increase student membership and donations. The club is working to raise money to finance facial reconstructive surgery on children worldwide.

“Our number one goal is just to help out kids. They are the motivation for all we do,” said Landon Preece, President of Utah State’s branch of Operation Smile. “As a club we are also trying to establish the organization so it can carry on and really establish it for years to come. It is definitely future oriented.

In order to retain and increase student involvement, Preece said the club has been divided into five committees: fundraising, new student recruitment/student awareness, publicity, service and high school involvement.

The fundraising committee hosts a variety of events to give students and the community opportunities to help finance surgeries done by Operation Smile, typically performed on childhood facial deformities.

“Our service directly helps kids. We don’t do service just to do service. We might not know who we are helping but we are changing a child’s life significantly.” Preece said.

To raise money on campus, Preece said they have many activities including 5K runs, concerts, service projects and booths at sporting events.

Their next fundraiser will be a Halloween carnival with the Boys and Girls Club at the Thomas Edison Elementary School in Nibley. It will be held on Halloween from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. All USU students and anyone interested in Operation Smile can attend, he said.

Money raised is sent to Operation Smile headquarters where profits from fundraisers nationwide are pooled together to fund surgeries in 24 countries.

Anthony Pozzuoli, president of the new student recruitment/student awareness committee, said membership has tripled since last semester. Pozzouli said they have 50 active members and are always looking for more.

The president of the high school committee is sophomore Vanessa Vest. She said her responsibilities include traveling to local high schools and encouraging students there to begin their own clubs.

Vest said she has only been in contact with high school administrators but believes she will see great success and involvement from local students.

“We have been in contact with the administration and I think we will be pretty successful once we get started,” Vest said.

Vest called Operation Smile one of the strongest clubs on campus and said she believes that if the whole community could be involved, that they will have a great year.

“We are not pushing [students] to donate money but it actually goes to those who need more in underdeveloped countries,” Vest said. “It helps get them a smile and the confidence they need in life and what they need to go on in life.

Preece said the club has tried breaking into different subgroups in previous years but lacked the manpower needed to really make it work.

Last year, Pozzuoli was able to travel to India on one of Operation Smile’s missions. He was there three weeks and said the experience was life-changing.

“Before, I was so ungrateful for things I had. You just don’t know how bad it is. In America, we just take things for granted,” Pozzuoli said.

While in India, Pozzuoli helped with various community service projects and also participated in screening children for surgery. The screening process involves taking pictures of those with facial deformities to evaluate their situation and determine which can be helped.

During his there, Pozzuoli said they screened and photographed 515 children.

However, only 217 kids were able to receive the operation because of time and money constraints. It costs Operation Smile $240 to perform one surgery, he said.

“One thing a lot of people have a misconception of is that Operation Smile is just something you do at school, you just work while others go out and experience and do hands on work. But if you show you are interested and really want to make a difference, you can help,” Pozzuoli said. “We are not just raising money and sending it away. There are opportunities to go out and get

involved. That is the wonderful thing about Operation Smile.

Pozzuoli said students who show dedication and a sincere interest in helping the organization can also have the opportunity to travel overseas. It is

required that they apply to Operation Smile headquarters in Virginia.

“We want people to be involved. I can vouch for this, I’ve been there done that. I have busted my butt fundraising and it can get discouraging, but it is worth it to see that one child get surgery. Children never expect the surgery

to happen and it changes their lives and changes you more than you will ever know,” Pozzuoli said.

Operation Smile is a national organization whose mission is to perform surgeries repairing facial deformities on children all over the world. The organization began in 1982 and currently has missions in 24 different countries. For more information about Operation Smile, visit operationsmile.org.

To get involved with USU’s club, email Cam Warner, the club’s publicity chair, at camw@cc.usu.edu.ariek@cc.usu.edu