It is the pet charity and philanthropic project for all
three Trump scions through Ivana Trump: Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Marie Trump-Kushner,
and Eric Trump all contribute and participate to Operation Smile. In fact,
Donald Trump Jr. is an ambassador of Operation Smile. And in Donald Trump Jr.’s
visit to launch the Trump Tower at Century, a 56-storey residential facility in
partnership with Century Properties last June 2012, he and his brother Eric
donated $10,000 USD for Operation Smile Philippines.
They also helped unveil the Manila Cleft Care Center in Sta.
Ana Hospital.
But the smiles do not cease to gleam there.
According to Operation Smile, around 4,000 children are born
with cleft palates, every year in the Philippines. The worldwide organization
was itself born in the Philippines after doctor-and-nurse couple, Dr. William “Bill”
Magee and RN Kathleen “Kathy” Magee joined a medical mission to repair Filipino
children’s cleft palates in 1982. They saw the deep need for more of the same
work, and thus, Operation Smile was born.
To Dr. Bill Magee, Operation Smile is “The Philippines'
lasting gift to the world.” [Source: GMA
News Online]
Hundreds of doctors have already given their time, and even
personal money, to serve the cause. A few of these are the following Pinoy
Doctors:
Dr. Joselito R. Cembrano was an
Operation Smile representative and counterpart in the recent Operation Smile
medical mission at the Brokenshire Memorial Hospital in Davao City. It was held
between June 13 to 19, 2015. He signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
with Lt. Gen. Aurelio B. Baladad, who represented AFP’s Eastern Mindanao
Command.
Dr. Laurence Loh has participated
in over 200 Operation Smile missions around the world. He points out that for a
20-minute surgery, he is profoundly affected by the change that it can effect
in children’s lives. He shares that “Life is just more meaningful when
God-given abilities and the skills you’ve developed are put into good use. […] I
intend to give back.” [Source: Inquirer.net]
Dr. Edwin Magallona, a Kapampangan
Pinoy Doctor who regularly volunteers in Operation Smile medical missions,
shares stories about being disappointed when patients could not be operated on
because they also have concurrent pneumonia. However, he relates the exhilaration
of completing successful operations: "Happy kami na nakakatulong sa mga
bata. Yung iba kasi, di na nakakapasok ng school dahil tinutukso sila dahil sa
kanilang deformity." [Source: Philippine
Plastic Surgeon Blog]
Dr. Mark A. Sison is also a regular
volunteer of Operation Smile, and has even led a team in 2012. You can read
about his outreach activities on his website: Dr. Mark A. Sison/Outreach
And then, balikbayan Pinoy Doctors also take part in giving
back to their homeland:
Dr. Jesus Gil Tiongson is an active
Operation Smile volunteer since 1995. He shares, ““It’s very fulfilling and I’m
lucky to be able to have the chance to change somebody’s life. Walang kupas
kahit paulit ulit mong ginagawa, nakakataba ng puso.” Dr. Tiongson practiced
pediatric plastic surgery in the Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters in
Norfolk, Virginia, USA. [Source: PhilStar]
If you’re a Pinoy Doctor, and you’re interested in
volunteering, here are Operation Smile’s
Volunteer Guidelines.
This year, Operation Smile launched the 2015 Operation Smile
International Mission to the Philippines, also known as the “Gift of Smiles,”
in June. Over 300 volunteers from 17 different countries signed up, with the
aim of bringing fresh smiles to some 4,500 Filipino children between June 12 to
20, 2015. As of June 16, 2015, a simultaneous “Gift of Smiles” medical mission
was conducted in the key cities of Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Pampanga, and Manila.
As of July 8th, Operation Smile Philippines announced the next
pitstop in Roxas City, Western Visayas, for July 18th.
If you want to bring your children to take advantage of the
medical mission, head on over to the New Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital on
July 18, 2015, or contact the Capiz Provincial Health Office at 09173222182 or
the New Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital at 09209200760. More information can
be found on the Operation Smile Facebook
Page.
Doctors and laypeople alike can still help to bring more
smiles to children with cleft palates. Operation Smile accepts ongoing
donations, as well as medical mission volunteers. President and Executive Director
of Operation Smile Philippines Roberto Manzano notes that another way that
Filipinos can help further the cause by volunteering in contributing to the
mapping of the potential patients using Smart Communications Inc.’s Op Smile
mobile app. All that a volunteer needs to do is to snap a mobile phone photo of
the patient, and add the
patient’s information via the app. On the other hand, online donations
are also accepted. These and other information are all available on OperationSmile.org.ph.
Photo Credits: Operation Smile Philippines' Official Facebook Page
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